E/CN.4/2001/66/Add.2
page 72
allegedly stripped naked and told how he should explain the marks on his body to the forensic
doctor he was going to see the following day. He is believed to have shown all the marks to the
forensic doctor at the IML and to have told him about the torture he had allegedly been subjected
to. The medical certificate issued at that time is reported to have mentioned “no observation of
injuries”. He was then allegedly threatened with being sent to the “worst police station in
Brasilia”, the 2nd district police station, and the delegado is said to have ordered him to be held
incommunicado for the following 30 days, i.e. until his injuries healed. After several requests,
and after suffering from a convulsion, he was reportedly taken to a public hospital, where he
requested an x-ray of his whole body. A blood clot was reportedly discovered in his stomach.
He requested the doctor to note down all the injuries he had suffered. One day later, he was
taken back to the IML where two doctors examined him. This time, they reportedly had to
describe all the injuries in detail and a medical report was issued. He was subsequently returned
to the 2nd district police station. A couple of days later, he was reportedly heard by a judge and
was asked to identify the responsible police officers, which he is said to have done. The police
had allegedly threatened him and his family members with death, if he were to identify the
officers responsible. According to the information received, he had been arrested on the basis of
a witness’s testimony on charges of participating in a gang robbery. The judge had reportedly
issued a warrant for five days’ arrest, prolonged by another five days (temporary detention), but
he had allegedly been held in a police station for 76 days before seeing a judge for the first time.
After the first ten days, the judge is reported to have issued an order for his preventive detention.
Until that point, no hard evidence about his involvement in a gang or a robbery is said to have
been found and no inquiry is said to have been carried out. A later inquiry is said to have
discovered evidence of the existence of a gang but not of a specific robbery. The charge was
reportedly therefore reduced to membership in a gang, which does not carry a penalty of
imprisonment. After five months, he was allegedly found innocent. During the trial
proceedings, it was reportedly proved that the witness statement implicating Sandro Fereirra had
been extracted under torture. His medical records were reportedly shown to the judge
responsible for his trial and the prosecuting attorney in order to have proceedings opened
regarding the torture allegation. The prosecuting attorney is said not to have wanted to take up
the case. It is not known whether any action has been taken with respect to his torture complaint.
At the time of the interview, on 21 August 2000, marks consistent with his allegation, such as a
scar on his ankles, were still visible.
State of Mato Grosso
29.
Aristeu da Silva, a detainee at Pascoal Ramos Prison in Cuiabá, was allegedly killed
on 1 February 2000. According to the information received, he was imprisoned in Block B and
was murdered as a result of a fight with a rival faction located in Block A. Nelson Rodrigues
de Sá was allegedly beaten on the same day by the other faction as well. The delegado and other
police officers were reportedly informed that some detainees in the jail had guns. It is said that
on the same day they had performed a search in the prison and found no weapons. The detainees
had reportedly handed in a list to the board of directors indicating the prisoners who had been
threatened with death by other prisoners. On 2 February 2000 the public prosecutor allegedly
received a letter with 17 names of detainees who were believed to be at risk as a result of
animosity between the different factions. On 3 February 2000 the event, later known as the
“Pascoal Ramos slaughter”, took place in the jail. According to the information received, the
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents