Mexico City, Mexico - Brazil is before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights of the Organization of American States this week, charged with carrying out illegal wiretaps in 1999. The wiretaps targeted the landless workers movement in the state of Paraná and occurred under the direction of public officials, who quickly released the recorded material to the national press. These events remain unpunished almost ten years later. Luciana Garcia and Andressa Caldas of the Brazilian organization, Global Justice, and Professor James Cavallaro of the International Human Rights Clinic at Harvard Law School, argued before the Court on behalf of the petitioners on December 3 in Mexico City.
Five Harvard Law School students have worked closely with Professor Cavallaro and the International Human Rights Clinic to lend critical support to this case. Students assisted in interviewing witnesses and preparing the lawyers for trial, and were able to travel to Mexico City to witness the arguments before the Court. Students who worked on this case include Aua Balde (LL.M. ’09), Alexia DeVincentis (J.D. ’10), Adriana Lafaille (J.D. ’10), Vladylslav Lanovoy (HLS Exchange Student), and Laura Pedraza (J.D. ’09).
Brazil, which in the past few months has been hit with news of illegal wiretaps that allegedly reached the president of the country’s highest court, could now face judgment before the Inter-American Court for its responsibility for carrying out politically motivated wiretaps against the landless workers’ movement. The wiretaps, which involved numerous irregularities, occurred at the request of the state’s military police and were illegally authorized by a state judge. The recorded material was then released to the media by the state’s Secretary of Public Security, and immediately aired on national news, causing tremendous repercussions. These events occurred in a context of often-violent repression of landless workers by landowners and their private security forces, in cooperation with police and state officials.
The case presents clear violations of the American Convention on Human Rights, signed by Brazil in 1992. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the petitioners argued before the Court that Brazil violated the right to privacy (Article 11), the freedom of association (Article 16), the rights to a fair trial and to judicial protection (Articles 8 and 25) and the federal clause (Article 28). For more information, contact the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School at 617-495-9362, or email mijones@law.harvard.edu. To contact the Global Justice Center, please call +55-21-2544-2320.
Five Harvard Law School students have worked closely with Professor Cavallaro and the International Human Rights Clinic to lend critical support to this case. Students assisted in interviewing witnesses and preparing the lawyers for trial, and were able to travel to Mexico City to witness the arguments before the Court. Students who worked on this case include Aua Balde (LL.M. ’09), Alexia DeVincentis (J.D. ’10), Adriana Lafaille (J.D. ’10), Vladylslav Lanovoy (HLS Exchange Student), and Laura Pedraza (J.D. ’09).
Brazil, which in the past few months has been hit with news of illegal wiretaps that allegedly reached the president of the country’s highest court, could now face judgment before the Inter-American Court for its responsibility for carrying out politically motivated wiretaps against the landless workers’ movement. The wiretaps, which involved numerous irregularities, occurred at the request of the state’s military police and were illegally authorized by a state judge. The recorded material was then released to the media by the state’s Secretary of Public Security, and immediately aired on national news, causing tremendous repercussions. These events occurred in a context of often-violent repression of landless workers by landowners and their private security forces, in cooperation with police and state officials.
The case presents clear violations of the American Convention on Human Rights, signed by Brazil in 1992. The Inter-American Commission on Human Rights and the petitioners argued before the Court that Brazil violated the right to privacy (Article 11), the freedom of association (Article 16), the rights to a fair trial and to judicial protection (Articles 8 and 25) and the federal clause (Article 28). For more information, contact the Human Rights Program at Harvard Law School at 617-495-9362, or email mijones@law.harvard.edu. To contact the Global Justice Center, please call +55-21-2544-2320.