Title Brazil: Human rights violations and the health professions
Publisher Amnesty International
Publication Date 11 October 1996
Country Brazil
Topics Death in custody | Disappeared persons | Extrajudicial executions | Freedom from torture, inhuman and degrading treatment | Human rights and fundamental freedoms | Prison or detention conditions | Public health | Right to health
Citation / Document Symbol AMR 19/025/1996
Reference Amnesty International is a worldwide voluntary movement that works to prevent some of the gravest violations by governments of people's fundamental human rights. The main focus of its campaigning is to: free all prisoners of conscience people detained an
Cite as Amnesty International, Brazil: Human rights violations and the health professions, 11 October 1996, AMR 19/025/1996, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a99b10.html [accessed 7 June 2023]
Comments The attached paper summarizes Amnesty International's concerns about the role of the medical profession in Brazil in the documentation of human rights violations and in their prevention. It reviews the recent history of human rights abuses and the failures of medical personnel to contribute to the exposure of these abuses and the obstacles that may prevent them from doing so. Information is given about recent attempts to discipline doctors for their involvement in human rights violations in the 1970s during the period of military rule. Recent proposals to make forensic services independent of the police secretariats are described. Case studies illustrate Amnesty International's concerns. The report concludes that medical professionals can make a significant contribution to the defence of human rights in Brazil provided certain reforms are made to strengthen professional independence and accountability. A number of doctors, forensic pathologists and other health professionals have, despite all institutional and material obstacles worked hard to document and expose evidence of human rights violations. It is hoped that with the removal of some of these obstacles more health professionals will be able to contribute their skills to ensure wider respect for human rights in Brazil.
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