VZCZCXRO3952
OO RUEHRG
DE RUEHRI #0440/01 3451723
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
O 111722Z DEC 09
FM AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC IMMEDIATE 0063
INFO RUEHBR/AMEMBASSY BRASILIA IMMEDIATE
RUEHRG/AMCONSUL RECIFE IMMEDIATE 0026
RUEHSO/AMCONSUL SAO PAULO IMMEDIATE
RHEHAAA/NATIONAL SECURITY COUNCIL WASHINGTON DC
RUEAIIA/CIA WASHINGTON DC
RUEHRI/AMCONSUL RIO DE JANEIRO

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 03 RIO DE JANEIRO 000440 
 
SENSITIVE 
SIPDIS 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PHUM PGOV ASEC BR
SUBJECT: DOES RIO'S FAVELA PACIFICATION PROGRAM RESPECT HUMAN RIGHTS? 
 
REF: RIO DE JANEIRO 329; RIO DE JANEIRO 404; RIO DE JANEIRO 353 
RIO DE JANEIRO 311 
 
SUMMARY 
 
 
 
¶1.  (SBU) Human rights and favela community representatives 
generally support Rio de Janeiro's Favela Pacification Program and 
report no killings related to the 450 Pacification Police Unit 
(UPP) officers that patrol the four favela shanty towns now under 
"pacification."  While acknowledging there have been no reports of 
UPP human rights violations since the program began a year ago, 
some human rights groups and favela representatives harbor 
suspicions over the true aims of the Pacification Program. 
Although the UPP's human rights record is thus far positive, the 
number of allegations of human rights abuses by the Rio state 
Military Police, especially extrajudicial killings, is alarming, 
with Human Rights Watch leadership releasing a report in Rio de 
Janeiro on December 9 that highlighted alleged human rights abuses 
here and in Sao Paulo.  According to human rights experts, the 2016 
Olympic Games offer both an opportunity and challenge to improve 
the Rio police's human rights record, especially considering the 
high incidents of police killings that led up to the 2007 Pan 
American Games in Rio.  End Comment. 
 
 
 
POSITIVE HUMAN RIGHTS RECORD IN PACIFIED FAVELAS 
 
 
 
¶2. (SBU) Human rights and favela community representatives 
generally support Rio de Janeiro's Favela Pacification Program 
(reftel A) and report no killings related to the 450 Pacification 
Police Unit (UPP) officers that patrol the four favela shantytowns 
now under "pacification."  Rafael Dias of Global Justice, one of 
the most prestigious human rights groups in Rio de Janeiro, told us 
on December 1 that the record of the UPP on human rights was thus 
far positive, explaining there have been no reported killings by 
the UPP officers since Rio de Janeiro state and municipal 
authorities launched the program one year ago.  (Note: Authorities 
have to date "pacified" four favelas, i.e. eliminated 
drug-trafficking elements, established a sustained UPP presence, 
and started provisions of basic services.   Anti-narco trafficking 
operations are still underway in a fifth favela (reftel B), which 
will receive UPP officers to conduct community policing as soon as 
the security situation fully stabilizes.  End note).  Franciso 
Marcelo from the Observatory of Rio de Janeiro Favelas told us on 
November 30 that crime indicators - especially homicides - are much 
lower in pacified communities and the provision of basic services, 
such as electricity and trash collecting, is steadily improving. 
Itamar Silva, Director of the Observatory of Rio de Janeiro Favelas 
also offered conditional praise of the UPP, citing the experience 
of the pacified favela Santa Marta, where local residents support 
the UPP presence due to a vastly improved security climate (reftel 
C). 
 
 
 
...BUT IN STARK CONTRAST TO OVERALL POLICE RECORD 
 
 
 
¶3. (SBU) Although the UPP's record to date on respecting human 
rights is positive, the number of allegations of human rights 
abuses by the Rio state Military Police, especially extrajudicial 
killings, is not.  On December 8, Human Rights Watch (HWR) 
published a report entitled "Brazil: Lethal Force," which focuses 
on police violence in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paolo.  HWR's Director 
for the Americas Jose Miguel Vivanco and Associate Director Daniel 
Wilkenson, who announced the release of the report in Rio de 
Janeiro, expressed specific concern over alleged resisting-arrest 
killings.  During a meeting with a Harvard University alumni group 
- attended by Poloff and PAO - on the day of the release, Vivanco 
and Wilkenson said the 1,137 police killings documented as 
resisting arrest in Rio state in 2008 constituted a "dramatic" 
figure.  They claimed forensic evidence and case studies compiled 
over the past four years led them to conclude many such incidents 
were extrajudicial killings.  While condemning such acts, Vivanco 
and Wilkenson conceded Military Police faced a "huge challenge" of 
critical violence in Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo, and praised the 
 
RIO DE JAN 00000440  002 OF 003 
 
 
receptiveness of Rio's Governor Sergio Cabral to the report's 
findings and proposals.  The following day, however, Rio's State 
Security for Public Security Jose Mariano Beltrame publically 
called the report biased, and defended the UPP law enforcement 
model as the best way to reduce the number of killings documented 
as resisting arrest.  (Note: The HRW report referred to the Favela 
Pacification Program as a positive initiative, but did not 
independently evaluate the program.  End Note).   Cabral also later 
came out in the press criticizing the report as highlighting only 
the negative aspects of police conduct, and not recognizing "good 
police." 
 
 
 
¶4. (SBU) Local human rights groups also strongly criticize the 
levels of force exercised by conventional police forces, as well as 
wide-spread corruption.   According to Global Justice's Dias, 
military police do not make a distinction between criminals and 
ordinary favela residents, part of the cause for the large number 
of police-related killings.  Furthermore, he stated corrupt police 
fueled violence in the favelas, recalling incidents where police 
even rented out arms, ammunition, and vehicles to rival drug 
factions engaged in de facto wars for control of favela territory 
and narcotics markets.  Monica Francisco of Group Arteiras, a 
favela women's rights group, complained of a history of rampant 
police corruption in the communities, which fomented a high level 
of mistrust of the police.  Rosino deCastro Diniz, President of the 
Federation of Rio de Janeiro Favela Associations said the risk of 
UPP corruption was his greatest concern about the Pacification 
Program.  In fact, according to Itimar Silva, Director of the 
Brazilian Institute for Social Analysis (IBASE), police corruption 
is what ultimately led to the demise of an initiative similar to 
the Favela Pacification Program in 1986.  "The police tried this 
before," he said, "until they themselves got involved with drug 
trafficking." 
 
 
 
THE OLYMPICS AND HUMAN RIGHTS 
 
 
 
¶5. (SBU) According to human rights experts, the 2016 Olympic Games 
offer both an opportunity and possible challenge to improve Rio's 
human rights climate.  HWR's Vivanco said the Olympics were "the 
best news for human rights in Rio," as the designation of host city 
would put the spotlight on the problem and offer authorities an 
opportunity to capitalize on increased attention and resources. 
HWR's Wilkenson cautioned, however, that the Olympics could worsen 
the situation in Rio, recounting the experience in Beijing, when 
government respect for human rights worsened prior to and during 
the Games.  He offered further caution by recalling Rio's hosting 
of the 2007 Pan American Games, when police killed some 20 persons 
in the massive favela Complexo de Alemao in one day alone.  Global 
Justice's Dias also expressed concern that a large police crackdown 
due to the Olympics would result in more extrajudicial killings. 
With the Pan American Games experience in mind, Global Justice has 
already started discussing this issue with large, international 
human rights groups, such as Human Rights Watch and the 
International Federation for Human Rights, to create a global 
network of groups with a specific focus on the Olympics. 
 
 
 
GROUPS QUESTION MOTIVES OF PACIFICATION 
 
 
 
¶6. (SBU) While acknowledging there were no reports of UPP human 
rights violations thus far, human rights activists and NGO leaders 
express suspicion over the government's true aims in pushing the 
Pacification Program.  Francisco Marcelo from the Observatory of 
Rio de Janeiro Favelas questioned the construction of walls around 
various favela communities.  Although the Rio Municipal Government 
states these walls are necessary to protect surrounding rainforest 
from further encroachment, as in the case of pacified favela Dona 
Marta, or as highway noise shields for favela residents, as in the 
case of Complexo de Mare, Fernando said these explanations were not 
credible and masked authorities' attempts to further segregate 
favelas from mainstream communities (reftel D).  Group Arteiras' 
Monica Francisco also suspected the implementation of UPP officers 
in favelas constituted nothing more than a short-term "emergency 
response" to the demands by Rio's residents to address the favela 
issue.   Global Justice's Dias also questioned the presence of 
 
RIO DE JAN 00000440  003 OF 003 
 
 
short-circuit video cameras in the pacified favela Dona Marta, 
stating locals viewed the cameras as an "intrusion."  (Comment: 
While hosting a tour of a pacified favela for Principal Officer and 
other consulate officers, State Security Secretary Beltrame 
explained these cameras were a crucial component in the UPP's 
security scheme for the favela.  End Comment).  Francisco echoed 
this sentiment, explaining that while supporting the pacification 
of the favela where he lived, he would oppose any installation of 
cameras in as an intrusion of privacy and unreasonable means of 
"control."  He also hoped that UPP officers would not resort to the 
same sort of corruption and violence he had witnessed in other 
conventional forces during prior operations in his favela. 
 
 
 
COMMENT 
 
 
 
¶7. (SBU) Considering the legacy of heavy-handed violence by the 
military police and the mistrust between them and Rio's poorest and 
most violent favela communities, it is noteworthy that UPP officers 
have had as much success sustaining their operations, without major 
incidents, over a year's time.  The absence of allegations of human 
rights abuses or police corruption in these four pacified favelas 
from organized groups is equally significant.  Security officials 
have adopted special standards for UPP officers, such as accepting 
only new recruits so as to avoid the risk of prior corruption and 
instituting mandatory human rights training, which have undoubtedly 
been factors in the UPP's good human rights record so far.  In 
addition, narco-trafficking groups have yet to openly resist the 
UPP forces, either with directed violence or general propaganda. 
Should they do so, this could test the UPP's heretofore solid human 
rights record.  End Comment. 
HEARNE