Failures in police investigations are also highlighted, for example in the operation in which 28 people died in Guarujá (SP). HRW identified problems such as a lack of expertise at the death scenes, statements made in groups by police officers involved in the actions, incomplete bulletins and autopsy reports deemed ineffective.
The company states that the Union can make funding conditional on reducing deaths caused by police operations. Although states are responsible for policing, the federal government has the authority to coordinate efforts on the issue, according to HRW. The NGO also advocates that the Attorney General's Office “improve external oversight of the police and require prosecutors to lead investigations into police violations rather than letting the police investigate themselves.”
When Lula discussed the issue in August, he said police needed to know how to “distinguish poor people from criminals.” At the same time, he absolved the state governments of blame and said that the federal government must “take responsibility together.” This month, a UOL report showed that there was no national plan to deal with the problem and that the departments of racial equality, human rights and justice cited only immature proposals.
Human Rights Watch also criticizes the Brazilian government's “inconsistent” foreign policy on human rights. While pushing for humanitarian aid in Gaza amid the war, Lula labeled accusations of lack of democracy in Venezuela a “narrative” and declined to join a statement by 55 countries denouncing the crimes of Daniel Ortega Nicaragua were denounced.
The government said it had repeatedly expressed its concerns about the human rights situation in Venezuela and Nicaragua. Commenting on HRW's criticism in August, Itamaraty reported that he had received a delegation from the organization and said it would consider contributions to the formulation of Brazil's foreign policy.
Lula should use Brazil's new global profile, including participation in the UN Human Rights Council, the BRICS and the G20 presidency in 2024, to promote human rights and condemn human rights violations, regardless of geopolitical interests or the ideology of the government responsible for the human rights violations .
César Muñoz, director of Human Rights Watch in Brazil