MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Half of Brazil's judges have suffered life threats

Being a judge entails specific risks, the study showed

According to a study undertaken by the Judicial Research Center of the Association of Judges of Brazil in partnership with the Latin American Federation of Judges and the Institute of Social, Political and Economic Research (Ipespe), South America's largest country ranks second only to Bolivia in the number of magistrates whose lives have been threatened, Agencia Brasil reported this week.

Half of the country's judges say they have already suffered threats to their lives or physical integrity, the unprecedented study conducted in 11 Latin American countries showed.

The Profile of the Latin American Judiciary survey also detected that Brazil was second-worst above Bolivia, where 65% of the judges reported having suffered threats to life or physical integrity as a result of exercising their public function. In the other countries, the average ranges between 30% and 40%. The exceptions are Chile and Ecuador, where the level is below 25%.

The survey also found that in Brazil only 20% of the magistrates feel totally safe. In Bolivia, only 3% feel that way, against Chile's 46%. Those feeling totally insecure amounted to 15% in Brazil, 42% in Bolivia, and only 3% in Chile.

Vanessa Mateus, a coordinator at the Association of Magistrates of Brazil, points out that this insecurity reflects on society as a whole. “This is very worrisome, because, without a free and independent Judiciary, a Judiciary that is cowed, afraid, this is a loss for the entire population, and not for the individual judge,” she was quoted by Agencia Brasil as saying.

She added that the study pointed to the need to regard the judiciary as an activity subject to risks and search for security mechanisms. “We need to see the magistrature as an activity that subjects its members to risk and take measures to protect them. One of them is the collegiate trials, not to personalize the decision of conviction,” said Mateus.

The survey also included a series of suggestions by the judges on measures to improve their safety, such as armoring the vehicles they ride.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)