Hundred judges in Brazil living under threat for combating organised crime, says Fachin
Supreme Court minister states that 79 magistrates already have special protection for working on cases against criminal gangs and money laundering.
Hundred judges in Brazil living under threat for combating organised crime, says Fachin
The president of the Brazilian Supreme Court, Edson Fachin, reported that around one hundred Brazilian magistrates are under some form of intimidation for dealing with cases involving criminal gangs and money laundering. Of these, 79 have already been given security measures.
The statement was made on Wednesday (8) during the inauguration of the new unit of the São Paulo Court of Justice dedicated exclusively to offences involving criminal organisation and asset laundering. Fachin did not specify how many are working in each level of the judiciary, but made it clear that all belong to the criminal sphere and suffer retaliation for their work.
"In Brazil, we have today one hundred magistrates who are placed in activities at risk, and 79 of them with protective measures," the minister declared. He added that the situation requires special attention due to "direct violence" and cited "tragic examples" that would not need to be recalled.
Among the episodes mentioned are the murder of judge Antonio José Machado Dias, executed in 2003 in Presidente Prudente (SP) by members of the PCC, and the assassination of former Carandiru director José Ismael Pedrosa in 2005. In Rio de Janeiro, judge Patrícia Acioli was shot dead in 2011 when arriving home after leaving the Court in São Gonçalo; eleven military police officers were convicted for the crime.
Fachin explained that legal specialists in this area are at risk not only for issuing arrest warrants or convictions, but also for striking at the financial structure of criminal gangs, freezing assets, authorising investigations and interfering with the flow of resources of incarcerated leaders.
The minister also described organised crime as "a threat to the rule of law itself," stating that in regions historically neglected by the state, criminal gangs compete with the state for control of the use of force.
A 2023 survey by the Judicial Research Centre of the Association of Brazilian Magistrates revealed that half of the judges interviewed had already suffered some form of threat to their life or physical integrity because of their work. Brazil ranked second among 17 Latin American nations analysed, surpassed only by Bolivia, where 65 per cent of respondents reported intimidation.
The study also showed that 47 per cent of Brazilian magistrates consider the creation of specialised panels an important measure to guarantee their safety, whilst 27 per cent cite armed escorts and armoured vehicles as desirable protections.
Source: Folha de S.Paulo
Source: Google News BR — Crime