TORTURE IN BRAZILIAN PRISION

by Fábio de Oliveira Ribeiro Wednesday, Nov. 04, 2009 at 5:25 PM
sithan@ig.com.br

In criminal subjects it is necessary to accomplish the Law, nothing else.

This weekend the Brazilian press announced one more terrifying case of torture against detainees. In a bathroom of a prison of Santa Catarina, public agents beat two handcuffed men and they drown one of them in a toilet.



http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Brasil/0,,MUL1363963-5598,00.html



The Brazilian constitution guarantees the detainee's physical and moral integrity (art. 5th XLIX) and it prohibits the existence the cruelty in the prison (art. 5th, XLVII, "e"). The torture is crime without bail (art. 5th, XLIII, of CF). In Brazil, the purpose of the execution of the condemnation is the education and the detainee's socialization (Law 7.210/84).



It was seeming that the press made his work. The televised newspapers showed the torture and the governor's of Santa Catarina correct reaction, that immediately moved away all involved. It represents of OAB (the lawyers' organization) of that been was interviewed also and she said that the one that happened is inadmissible.



Could the press do more than this? I think that yes.



It is necessary the culture that generated that atrocity type to discuss permanently. Every human behavior is generated inside of a context and it only reproduces constantly if it is tolerated or has approval. Is this a case in what the one what is illegal (the torture) it is not immoral?



The press could also show as the condemnation are accomplished at other countries that respect the detainees' rights. But not in a humorous way as it happened in the case of the Austrian prison described by the Brazilian journalists as being of "luxury". In the most serious cases the feather of privation of the freedom should be enough. Actually already it is because any human being doesn't feel very good caged (although the cage is decent).



A lot of reports about the situation of the Brazilian prisons were already made. Until OEA it already informed us that of the way that is cannot be. And I wonder: the governors (done entrust by Law of organizing the prision system of States) did they read these reports? Did they give importance ace recommendations of OEA? While TV, that is the largest and more important middle of communication, not to dedicate more seriousness and time to the theme the population will continue choosing the same governors and parliamentary that allowed the prisons to be transformed in torture cameras.



I never stop being surprised when seeing as some people continue to write hundreds of thousands of lines about the atrocities committed in Cuba, in old USSR and satellites. What do they want? Do they want to divert the attention of the Brazilian population of our prison problems or what do we believe that our prisons are already sufficiently good?



The doctors take an oath of Hipócrates. And the journalists? Do they swear to be hypocritical? Without a push of the press the things don't change. It is necessary that the Brazilian citizen says in high and good sound: I don't want to pay public safety's agents' wage that they are torturing and I don't want the governor of my State to allow the prisons to become Brazilian branches of Gestapo.



Original: TORTURE IN BRAZILIAN PRISION