Ugeirm will denounce the situation of prisoners in Rio Grande do Sul to the OAS.
The Union of Clerks, Inspectors and Investigators of the Rio Grande do Sul Police (Ugeirm Sindicato) is expected to file a complaint this month with the Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS) regarding the situation of prisoners being held irregularly in police station holding cells in the state. According to the union, more than 90 prisoners were being held in police station holding cells and in the prison bus. Ugeirm believes this practice has increased after the decision by the president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Minister Carmen Lúcia, exempting the state government from fines for non-compliance with the decision of the Court of Justice (TJ) that required the government to remove prisoners from police station holding cells.
On the 21 - The Union of Clerks, Inspectors and Investigators of the Police of Rio Grande do Sul (Ugeirm Sindicato) is expected to present a complaint this month to the Human Rights Commission of the Organization of American States (OAS) regarding the situation of prisoners irregularly detained in police station lockups in the State. On Friday (13), according to data from the union, more than 90 prisoners were detained in police station lockups and in the prison bus, nicknamed the Blue Thunder. This Monday, according to a survey by Ugeirm, 50 prisoners were detained in police stations in the municipalities of Porto Alegre, Viamão, Novo Hamburgo, Alvorada, Gravataí, Canoas and Sapucaia. Another seven remained detained in the Blue Thunder.
According to Ugeirm's assessment, this practice increased after the decision by the president of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Minister Carmen Lúcia, exempting the state government from fines in case of non-compliance with the Court of Justice's decision that required the government to remove prisoners from police station holding cells. "In practice, the decision functioned as a carte blanche for the Sartori government to overcrowd police stations, the 'Trovão Azul' (Blue Thunder) program, and any other makeshift solution it devises to house prisoners," the police union stated in a note released last Friday.
In 2016, Ugeirm filed a lawsuit demanding compliance with the law that prohibits prisoners from being held in police stations for more than 24 hours. The Court of Justice ruled in favor of the action, which was also accepted by the Rio Grande do Sul Public Prosecutor's Office. However, the State Attorney General's Office appealed to the Supreme Federal Court (STF), and Justice Carmen Lúcia suspended the fine for non-compliance with the decision. Since last year, the union has been warning about the risks of riots in police stations. "Will Justice Carmen Lúcia take responsibility when we lose the life of a police officer who is working as a jailer in a police station?" the organization asks.
On Monday morning, seven inmates held in the holding cells of the 3rd Emergency Police Station in Porto Alegre (DPPA) began a riot due to the heat and the length of time they have been detained in the cell. The room where they are being held lacks the infrastructure to function as a cell.