The Federal Public Ministry (MPF) reported this Wednesday (20) that it requested the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship to comment, within 30 days, on alleged episodes of human rights violations in prison units in Rio de Janeiro .
The Ministry of Health was also asked to assess whether the state has complied with the health care policy in the prison system, especially in relation to women.
The objective, according to the MPF, is to protect the rights of prisoners and prevent Brazil’s international responsibility, as several cases have already been processed by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
The requests for clarification were made by the Regional Public Prosecutor’s Office for Citizens’ Rights in Rio, after analyzing reports from the Rio Federal Justice Prison System Monitoring Group and the State Mechanism for Preventing and Combating Torture.
According to the MPF, the documents point to a widespread scenario of torture, mistreatment, lack of hygiene and adequate medical care, in addition to physical, sexual and psychological violence.
The report shows that, in March of this year, there were 1,415 women imprisoned in the Rio de Janeiro system. The document records a large number of complaints against agents from the Special Operations Sector (SOE).
There are reports of verbal and physical attacks on pregnant women handcuffed in the back of vehicles, traveling long distances without food and water. Pregnant women in custody reported bleeding after births, with reports of attacks by agents during births carried out in the Emergency Care Unit (UPA).
The investigation also found that violence against women and adolescents occurs in practically all prison units. In some, there are reports of racism and transphobia with the use of pepper spray and swearing. There are also cases of self-mutilation among teenagers and systematic rapes by an agent to allow the use of cell phones within the unit and provide snacks.
According to the organization, many women also report the lack of news from their children and family members. Transvestites and trans people, according to the report, receive humiliating treatment, being forced to remain naked in front of men, in addition to not receiving endocrinological monitoring for the use of hormones taken by the family, with a medical prescription.
The survey highlights the death of two inmates due to precarious care: one aged 35, hypertensive and suffering from malnutrition and who contracted Covid-19; and another who died from a fire, allegedly caused by her, and was not treated in time at the UPA.
The MPF investigations began after the case of a woman, arrested in 2021, who managed to replace her preventive prison sentence with alternative precautionary measures due to the lack of adequate medical care within the prison.
The prisoner suffered from constant pain and was sent to the State Secretariat of Penitentiary Administration of Rio de Janeiro (Seap) for examinations, but her request was initially denied, having to go to court to obtain assistance.
Witnesses confirmed that the woman was in a degrading state of health and did not receive medication, in addition to suffering mistreatment at the UPA and being threatened by an agent.
What the government says
Wanted by CNN the Ministry of Health said that “comprehensive care is provided to people deprived of liberty and, among the conditions covered by the Prison Primary Care health teams, are asthma, malnutrition, diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, prenatal care, childcare, puerperium (up to 42 days), sexual and reproductive health, smoking, mental health, rehabilitation, communicable diseases – dengue, leprosy, tuberculosis, cardiovascular risk screening, among others”.
“To reinforce care in the prison system, the Ministry of Health has already increased the number of health teams dedicated to caring for people deprived of liberty to 400. The expectation is to expand to more than 660 teams by 2026. The department also made available, in an unprecedented way, 136 vacancies for professionals to work on teams through the Mais Médicos program”, he adds.
A CNN He contacted the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship and is awaiting a response.
Source: CNN Brasil
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