Joint Oral Statement by International NGOs on the Killing of Marielle Franco
Human Rights Council 37 th Regular Session Item 8 – Follow-up and Implementation of the Vienna Declaration on Human Rights – General Debate
Mr. President,
Protection of human rights defenders is key to the implementation of the Vienna Declaration on Human Rights.
City councilwoman Marielle Franco and Anderson Gomes were brutally killed on 14 March in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Her mandate focused on structural racism and police violence suffered by the poor, black and young in favelas, and on the empowering black women and the LGBTI community.
She was appointed as parliamentary rapporteur to oversee the abuses of the highly militarized federal intervention in Rio, decreed by the President, against the will of the community, and under concerns by the High Commissioner. (1)
Many who speak truth to power in Brazil are facing unprecedented violence and stigmatization, as the country ranks at the top in defenders’ deaths. The defenders’ protection program remains underfunded and understaffed. (2)
Marielle’s strength, engagement and sorority serve as a source of inspiration for the work on the promotion and protection of the rights of the most marginalized groups.
We urge Brazil to ensure a prompt, impartial and independent investigation, bringing those responsible to justice, by seriously exploring the hypothesis on an extrajudicial execution, and to provide effective protection to the survivors of this attack.
Thank you.
Joint Oral Statement by: Red Internacional de Derechos Humanos (RIDH) - CIVICUS World Alliance for Citizen Participation - Conselho Indigenista Missionário (CIMI) - Conectas Direitos Humanos - Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Direitos Humanos (IDDH) - Center for Reproductive Rights - Centro Feminista de Estudos e Assessoria (CFEMEA) – Centro de Estudios Legales y Sociales (CELS) - Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) - Gabinete de Assessoria Jurídica as Organizaçoes Populares (GAJOP) - International Lesbian and Gay Association (ILGA) - Front Line Defenders – FIDH, within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders - World Organisation Against Torture (OMCT), within the framework of the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders - Franciscans International - East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project – International Service for Human Rights (ISHR) - International Commission of Jurists - Soropositividade, Comunicação e Gênero (Gestos) - Friends of the Earth International – Asian Forum for Human Rights and Development - Associação Brasileira de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis, Transexuais e Intersexos (ABGLT) - African Centre for Democracy and Human Rights Studies, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) in Consultative Status with the United Nations Economic and Social Council, joined by several other non-governmental organizations and social movements
Civil society organizations and social movements joining the oral statement:
Abrapso Associação Brasileira de Psicologia Social
ABL-Articulação Brasileira de Lésbicas
ACT Promoção da Saúde
AHF Argentina
AHF Chile
AHF Mexico
AHF Peru
AMARC América Latina y El Caribe
AMARC Brasil - Associação Mundial de Rádios Comunitárias
Amigos da Terra Brasil
Amigos de la Tierra América Latina y el Caribe - ATALC
Articulação para o Monitoramento dos Direitos Humanos no Brasil
Associação de Mulheres de Armação dos Buzios
Associação Lésbica Feminista do DF - Coturno de Vênus
Associação OMUNGA - Angola
Base Lesbica Venezuela
Brazilian Anthropology Association Comite Deficiencia e Acessibilidade
Brazilian Campaign for the Right to Education
Brazilian Human Rights Platform / Plataforma de Direitos Humanos Dhesca Brasil
Casa Fluminense
Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT)
Centre for the Study of Violence / Núcleo de Estudos da Violência - USP/SP
Centro de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos da Serra - CDDH
Cineclube Socioambiental "EM PROL DA VIDA"
Círculo Palmarino
COECOCEIBA - Amigos de la Tierra Costa Rica
Coletivo de Feministas Lésbicas
Coletivo Kianda - Mães Pretas
Coletivo Nos na Rua
Coletivo Xica Manicongo
Comissão Brasileira de Bibliotecas Prisionais - CBBP
Comissao de Direitos Humanos de Passo Fundo CDHPF
Comissão Permanente de Direitos Humanos da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo
Conselho Estadual de Direitos Humanos do Rio Grande do Sul
Coordinadora Nacional de Derechos Humanos - Peru
DESPATOLOGIZA - Movimento pela Despatologização da Vida
Diálogo 2000 – Argentina
FIBRA - Frente Internacional Brasilieros contra o Golpe
Fora do Eixo - Coletivo de Comunicaçao
Força Tarefa Jovens Lideranças
Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública
Fórum Cearense de Mulheres/AMB
Fórum de Juventude Negra de Pernambuco
Front Line Defenders
Fundación Servicio Paz y Justicia - Argentina
GADvS - Grupo de Advogados pela Diversidade Sexual e de Gênero
Geledes -Instituto da Mulher Negra
GHAP - Grupo Habeas Corpus Potiguar
HOMA- Human Rights and Business Centre
Instituto AMMA Psique e Negritude
Instituto Dakini Movimento e Igualdade
Instituto de Desenvolvimento e Valorização Humana - IDVH
Instituto Viva Infancia
Intervozes – Coletivo Brasil de Comunicação
Jornalistas Livres
Justiça Global
Las Reinas Chulas Cabaret y Derechos Humanos AC - Mexico
Liga Brasileira de Lésbicas
Mídia Ninja - Coletivo de Comunicação
Movimento dos Atingidos e Atingidas por Barragem MAB
Movimento dos Atingidos Pela Base Espacial de Alcântara
Movimento dos Trabalhadores Sem Teto (MTST)
Movimento Ibiapabano de Mulheres – MIM
Movimento Nacional dos Direitos Humanos/ES
Movimento Nacional População de Rua-MNPR
Movimento para a Paz e a Democracia em Angola (MPDA)
Nação Basquete de Rua
Paz e Esperança Brasil
PK Psicanalistas Associados
Plataforma de Mujeres Lesbianas Revolucionarias de Venezuela
Plataforma Internacional contra la Impunidad
Processo de Articulação e Diálogo Internacional -PAD
Public Service International- PSI Americas
Rede Brasileira de População e Desenvolvimento/REBRAPD
Rede de jovens Núcleo Amazonas
Rede de Mulheres em comunicação (Articulação Nacional)
Rede Médica pelo Direito de Decidir
RNP+AM (Rede Nacional de Pessoas Vivendo.com HIV e AIDS do Amazonas)
UNEAFRO BRASIL
For more information, please contact:
Erin Kilbride
erin@frontlinedefenders.org
1 - High Commissioner’s global update of human rights concerns (HRC37, Item 2, 7 March 2018): “In Brazil, I am concerned by the recent adoption of a decree that gives the armed forces authority to fight crime in the state of Rio de Janeiro, and places the police under army command. The armed forces are not specialized in public security or investigation. I deplore calls by high-ranking army officials for measures amounting in effect to a preventive amnesty for any troops who may commit human rights violations. I urge the Government to ensure that security measures respect human rights standards, and effective measures are taken to prevent racial profiling and the criminalization of the poor. I acknowledge the creation of a Human Rights Observatory last week to monitor military actions during the intervention, and I emphasize the importance of civil society participation in this body.”
2 - Brazil accepted, during the third cycle of the Universal Periodic Review (UPR), in 2017, the recommendations to: 136.113. Provide the full implementation of the National Policy for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders; 136.115. Restore functionality of the National Program for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders; 136.116. Take more decisive steps towards implementing the National Program for the Protection of Human rights Defenders; 136.118. Implement the National Plan for the Protection of Defenders; and 136.119. Strengthen the national programme for the protection of human rights defenders, in particular its funding and human resources. UN Doc. A/HRC/WG.6/27/L.9.
