32 Lawyers Are Arrested Due to Suspicion of Connection to Criminal Faction

11/23/2016 - 14h34

A joint operation involving the Civil Police and the São Paulo Prosecutor's Office on Tuesday (the 22nd) resulted in the arrest of 32 lawyers and three other persons suspected of having a connection to the criminal faction PCC (First Command of the Capital) including a leader of the state council for human rights.

The government claims that they were working on behalf of 14 leaders of the faction who are in prison.

The highest profile arrest made by the police was of 43-year-old Luiz Carlos dos Santos, Vice President of Condepe (State Council for the Defense of Human Rights), the only person to have their name released.

The Security Secretary of Geraldo Alckmin's (PSDB) administration, Mágino Alves Barbosa Filho, declared that Santos had made false accusations against the police and was receiving money from the criminal organization.

Defense lawyers for Santos said that his arrest could be in retaliation for accusations that were made in combatting police violence.

Condepe declared that none of the accusations that he presented showed inconsistencies.

During the operation computers and documents from the headquarters of the entity where Santos worked were apprehended.

The council says that it has sensitive and protected information from witnesses regarding violations of human rights - including from police who are under suspicion - and demanded that the data be preserved.

The police say that the investigation that resulted in the operation has been ongoing for a year and a half and that it started after documents from members of the faction were seized.

Translated by LLOYD HARDER

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