Brasil: grupo de expertos de la ONU preocupado por el uso excesivo de la privación de la libertad y la falta de asistencia jurídica

El grupo de trabajo sobre la detención arbitraria de las Naciones Unidas ha expresado su preocupación por el uso excesivo de la privación de la libertad y la falta de asistencia jurídica efectiva a personas arrestadas y detenidas.Más información, en inglés, está disponible abajo.

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The United Nations Working Group on Arbitrary Detention raised concerns regarding the excessive use of deprivation of liberty and the lack of effective legal assistance to persons arrested and detained. The experts stressed that depriving persons of their liberty was the most common recourse both in terms of administrative detention and the criminal justice system.

The need to rigorously protect the right to fair trial of those arrested, including the right to be brought promptly before a court, was constantly raised by the Working Group throughout the visit.

They also expressed serious concerns regarding the arrests and compulsory confinement of drug addicts. These often involved young, poor and homeless drug users who were arrested, allegedly in an effort to ‘clean up’ the streets. Pressure to further enforce these types of arrests was reportedly due to major upcoming events such as the Football Association World Cup in 2014 and the Summer Olympic Games in 2016 which Brazil will host.

The expert body warned against arrests made on the basis of discrimination, and also addressed issues in relation to the detention of adolescents and persons with mental illness. It urged the Government to ensure that deprivation of liberty in all these situations would be in conformity with international human rights standards.

The Working Group will present its report on the visit to the Human Rights Council in 2014.

Click here to read the full end-of-visit statement.

Read the full article.

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