Army recruits declare themselves supporters of the Workers' Party (PT) and become victims of torture and humiliation.
Army recruits in Goiás denounce ideological persecution: soldiers who support the Workers' Party or human rights are victims of torture and humiliation by officers at the 41st Motorized Infantry Battalion in Jataí (GO); recordings show an officer humiliating a recruit, stepping on his head and throwing sand on the young man with his foot.
Goiás 247 - Army recruits in Goiás denounce ideological persecution: soldiers who support the Workers' Party or human rights are victims of torture and humiliation. The Rio Verde Prosecutor's Office has opened a civil inquiry to investigate evidence of torture against four young men serving in the 41st Motorized Infantry Battalion in Jataí, 320 kilometers from Goiânia.
In the complaint filed with the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office, the four recruits report having been subjected to harassment, mistreatment, and persecution for political reasons. During the class presentation, an officer asked that "supporters of the Workers' Party or human rights defenders" identify themselves. Those who did so allegedly became targets of persecution by superiors.
There are videos showing the mistreatment of one of the young men, as well as audio recordings that would corroborate what the four reported. In one of the recordings, an officer humiliates a recruit, stepping on his head and throwing sand on the young man with his foot. The officer was detained by the Army, which announced an internal investigation into the case. Prosecutor Jorge Medeiros, responsible for the case, sent an official letter to the battalion requesting that the Army comment on the situation.
According to the prosecutor, there is considerable evidence of a series of ongoing abuses, much of which is documented. "The explanation given by the representatives of the alleged victims is that the reason for this practice was this ideological divergence. One of them expressed a political opinion when answering a question from an officer, and this allegedly started this routine of persecution," said Medeiros, who is investigating the case.
According to the victims' accounts, the acts of harassment occurred frequently, at various events. Medeiros stated that there is "very ample" mention of the names of the aggressors and victims. And, given the sensitivity of the case, the prosecutor deemed it best not to disclose the names of those involved.