Mundo, perplexo, descobre a verdade sobre a crise de segurança do Rio
... e quando é que NÓS nos daremos conta dela e sairemos da inércia?Diversos jornais do mundo todo estamparam manchetes e artigos completos tratando deste assunto hoje, demonstrando perplexidade e temor quanto ao estágio de crise generalizada em que se encontra o Estado do Rio. Muitos destes jornais colocaram em cheque a segurança do Rio e do Brasil para a Copa do Mundo e as Olimpíadas, em 2014 e 2016 respectivamente.
Claro que temos muito assunto para abordar, mas neste post quero só dar um destaque para como o mundo está nos vendo e como, às vezes, nossa imprensa nos cega e faz-nos acreditar que estamos numa "pacificação" que não existe.
Un diputado de Río se va del país, amenazado por parapoliciales
Clarín, da Argentina
Político brasileño abandona el país por amenazas de muerte
Reuters, da Alemanha
Menacé de mort, un député de Rio de Janeiro quitte le Brésil pour l'Europe
Le Monde, da França
A FOX NEWS estampou o seguinte título: "Brazilian lawmaker threatened by corrupt cops"
A BBC fez uma matéria extensa e contundente, que vocês podem conferir na íntegra abaixo:
A congressman in Rio de Janeiro says he will flee Brazil with his family on Tuesday after an escalation of threats to his life.
Since 2006, Marcelo Freixo's work to expose the city's militias has earned him a price on his head of 400,000 reais (£143,000; $230,000).
It was his campaign that inspired Brazil's biggest grossing movie to date, last year's Tropa de Elite 2, which shows how militias - gangs formed of current and former police, firemen, soldiers and security guards - are taking over from the traditional scourge of drug dealers in the city's slums.
These militias run services such as gas, water and alternative transport in slums, as well as charging protection money and ruling with violence and fear.
Police units have tackled crime in some Rio slums but militias are a growing threat A further source of concern was the murder on 11 August of judge Patricia Acioli. It led to the resignation of chief of police Mario Sergio Duarte and the arrest of a large number of police officers.
The murder of the judge, known for her hard line against corrupt police in the dock, sparked comparisons with the Italian Mafia and is one of the reasons for Mr Freixo's decision to leave.
"Patricia Acioli was threatened but at the time everyone said that no-one would kill her," he said.
He will travel to Europe on the invitation of Amnesty International although the destination has not been disclosed.
Follow the money
“When you talk about crime here, you have to talk about the police and the politicians.”
Marcelo Freixo
Member of congress, Rio de Janeiro
An investigation led by Mr Freixo in 2006 indicted 225 people including congressman Natalino Jose Guimaraes who was sent to prison in 2007 for his involvement with militias.
He is still there, along with a steady flow of local politicians, sentenced over the intervening years.
Mr Freixo says: "When you talk about crime here, you have to talk about the police and the politicians.
"My investigation was seriously delayed because there were a lot of interested parties.
"We put a lot of people in prison, which was important as it weakened the militias. But we need to hit them financially. Above all, it is a business."
His final report put forward 58 recommendations to combat the problem, but many have yet to be implemented.
The authorities in Rio have concentrated their efforts in using Unidades de Policia Pacificadora (UPP or Pacifying Police Units) to drive drug gangs out of the slums and replace them with a permanent police presence.
Mr Freixo's efforts to expose Rio's militias and their ties to politicians inspired the film Rio Security Secretary Jose Mariano Beltrame says this project is not connected to the Olympics, despite the target for completion being 2014.
Rio is hosting the Olympics in 2016 and the World Cup in 2014.
"The UPP has nothing to do with the Olympics and the World Cup. We are not preparing Rio for events. We are preparing it for its citizens," he says.
Mr Beltrame has said that he is now more worried by the presence of militias than drug gangs.
However, no UPPs have been designated for any areas controlled by them.
Some argue the UPPs have created a power vacuum which has only made the militias more powerful.
According to recent research by Rio-based newspaper O Globo, the number of slums controlled by the most powerful drug gang is now 55 - and those controlled by militias stands at 105. It has been suggested a form of militia-style gangs exists in all states of Brazil.
Controlling communities
Captain Nascimento, the central character, divides opinion Tropa de Elite 2's hero, Capt Nascimento, was partly based on the special force's former captain and adviser to the film, Paulo Storani.
Now a researcher and criminology professor, Mr Storani had also worked with Patricia Acioli in his current capacity as security secretary for Sao Goncalo, a city in the state of Rio.
What makes the murder so serious is that police officers have been accused of the crime, Mr Storani says.
"The police in Rio are in crisis."
He believes that today the militias present a more serious problem than the drug dealers.
“They are getting stronger and I believe the militias will eventually start selling drugs”
Paulo Storani
Former captain, Rio special force
"They use the same methods to control communities, but they know how the system works. They have people inside the system and inside information.
"They are getting stronger and I believe the militias will eventually start selling drugs. The demand exists, and now there is a vacancy."
Both Mr Freixo and Mr Storani say that Tropa de Elite 2 has helped to change the public attitudes - many had previously thought of militias as the "lesser evil", providing some services in neglected communities.
The film has been entered in the category of Best Foreign Film for the Oscars and its impact in Brazil has been attributed to the similarities between fiction and reality.
Last month the actor who plays hero Capt Nascimento in Tropa de Elite 2, Wagner Moura, appeared at the headquarters of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) along with director Jose Padilha.
They were among those speaking at a hearing organised by the OAB in defence of Mr Freixo's life.
Despite admitting he has fears for his family, Mr Freixo says he will not give up.
"My life is not easy. But I will not retreat," he says. He plans to launch a campaign to run as Mayor of Rio de Janeiro in 2012 once he has returned from Europe, during which time he intends to step up his security.
Agora, transcrevo parte da nota que a Anistia Internacional soltou sobre o convite que fez à Freixo:
Anistia Internacional – Declaração Pública
Brasil: Fortalecendo a Campanha Internacional contra as Milícias do Rio de Janeiro
Conforme noticiado recentemente, o convite que o Deputado Estadual Marcelo Freixo, do Rio de Janeiro, recebeu das organizações Front Line Defenders e Anistia Internacional para viajar à Europa a fim de falar sobre a expansão das milícias, faz parte de uma campanha internacional que já dura alguns anos.
Por todo o mundo, ativistas de direitos humanos continuam trabalhando para acabar com a disseminação das milícias no Rio de Janeiro. Trata-se de grupos do crime organizado formados, majoritariamente, por ex-agentes da área de segurança pública ou por agentes da ativa que atuam fora do seu horário de serviço.
Essas gangues dominam as vidas de centenas de milhares de moradores das comunidades mais vulneráveis do Rio de Janeiro, extorquindo dinheiro, empreendendo negócios irregulares e ilegais, propagando a violência e instituindo currais eleitorais. Sendo assim, para que se consiga eliminar as milícias, é necessário que se tomem medidas de cunho político combinadas com investigações policiais. Tais ações deverão incluir o combate às atividades econômicas irregulares e ilegais que sustentam esses grupos.
Os homens e mulheres que tiveram a coragem de enfrentar essas gangues criminosas costumam viver sob extremo perigo, como ficou demonstrado, recentemente, pelo assassinato da juíza Patrícia Acioli, por integrantes da Polícia Militar do Rio de Janeiro.
Há muitos anos que o Deputado Estadual Marcelo Freixo, um ativista de direitos humanos de longa data, tem sido uma das principais figuras públicas cuja face se destaca na luta contra as milícias. Presidente da Comissão de Direitos Humanos da Assembléia Legislativa do Estado, Marcelo Freixo presidiu a Comissão Parlamentar de Inquérito (CPI) que investigou as atividades desses grupos, resultando em centenas de detenções. Em consequência de seu trabalho, ele vem sofrendo inúmeras ameaças contra sua vida.
Por muitos anos, o Deputado tem contribuído com uma campanha internacional que busca informar o mundo a respeito desses grupos e denunciar sua expansão. Com tal propósito, a Front Line Defenders e a Anistia Internacional convidaram Marcelo Freixo a visitar a Europa em apoio a sua campanha, para encontrar-se com autoridades e ativistas de direitos humanos a fim de captar apoios que fortaleçam essa ação internacional.
Recentemente, Marcelo Freixo recebeu sete novas ameaças de morte. Essas ameaças evidenciam o perigo iminente que o Deputado enfrenta, sendo causa de imensa pressão sobre ele e sua família.
A Front Line Defenders e a Anistia Internacional reconhecem que as autoridades estaduais têm continuamente fornecido proteção armada ao Deputado, e que tal proteção está sendo atualmente reforçada. Entretanto, está na hora de as autoridades federais, estaduais e municipais implementarem as recomendações pendentes da CPI das Milícias, a fim de garantir que todos os cidadãos do Rio de Janeiro possam viver com mais paz e segurança.
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