Petition addressed to the United Nations, the Organization of American States (OAS), and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR)

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We, the undersigned Brazilian citizens and international supporters, hereby submit this international complaint to alert the global community to serious, systematic, and ongoing violations of human rights in Brazil.

Over the past years, Brazil has experienced an alarming erosion of fundamental guarantees, including arbitrary detentions, political persecution, denial of due process of law, degrading detention conditions, and the systematic disregard of medical and humanitarian standards for detainees.

These practices are incompatible with the Brazilian Federal Constitution, the American Convention on Human Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, and other international treaties to which Brazil is a signatory.

CASE OF FORMER PRESIDENT JAIR MESSIAS BOLSONARO

This complaint also draws urgent attention to the situation of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who suffers from severe and permanent medical complications resulting from an attempted assassination in 2018, when he was stabbed during a public event.

Despite extensive medical documentation attesting to his fragile health condition, medical recommendations have been repeatedly disregarded, exposing him to a real and imminent risk to his life.

POLITICAL PERSECUTION AND ARBITRARY DETENTIONS

There is growing concern regarding the political nature of criminal proceedings and detentions carried out in connection with the events of January 8, 2023, which resulted in the imprisonment of hundreds of Brazilian citizens without individualized assessment of conduct.

Statements by members of Brazil’s own Supreme Federal Court have acknowledged serious inconsistencies in the legal narrative used to justify these detentions, reinforcing the perception of arbitrariness and political motivation.

DOCUMENTED HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS

The following practices have been widely reported and documented:

• Arbitrary and collective detentions without individualized charges;

• Degrading and inhumane detention conditions;

• Prolonged denial of medical assistance to detainees;

• Psychological and physical abuse amounting to cruel, inhuman, or degrading treatment;

• The establishment of a state of exception incompatible with democratic standards and the rule of law;

• The death of Cleriston Pereira da Cunha (“Clezão”) in custody in 2023 after repeated medical warnings were ignored;

• Violations of protections afforded to elderly detainees;

• Ongoing violations of constitutional guarantees and international human rights obligations.

OUR DEMANDS

In light of the gravity of these facts, we respectfully urge the international community to:

🔹 Demand the immediate cessation of torture and ill-treatment;

🔹 Ensure full respect for due process of law and the presumption of innocence;

🔹 Call for an independent and impartial review of all detentions related to January 8, 2023;

🔹 Guarantee immediate and adequate medical care for all detainees, including former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro;

🔹 Uphold the individualization of criminal responsibility, in accordance with democratic legal standards;

🔹 Ensure the release of all individuals who have not committed crimes, as determined by law.

FINAL STATEMENT

This petition constitutes an international alert.

Silence in the face of these violations risks transforming omission into complicity.

Brasil, 

Human rights are universal and non-selective.

Justice must never be used as an instrument of political persecution.

BRASIL, 14 de janeiro de 2026.