' Heroic victory': Acquittal of 23 protestors criminalised for fighting for justice in Brazil

By Harsh Thakor*
After almost 10 years of a process based on no material act that constitutes the commission of crimes, the Judiciary finally recognized that the young people, who participated in the Days of People’s Struggle, in 2013 and 2014 in Rio de Janeiro, were not guilty of any crime, exonerated of all set up charges.
The entire process, with its 48 volumes, was a pure fabrication or incarceration based on false testimonies from police officers and National Force agents intervening without a court order. Every democrat should in no uncertain terms congratulate the Brazilian Center for Solidarity with the Peoples (CEBRASPO), which battled the most turbulent waves to secure justice for the incarcerated victims.
The Dilma government at the time paid a deaf ear to the millions of people mobilized for and patronised the historical ties so that a nation was gripped by imperialism and hostage to the interests of the big landlords and the big bourgeoisie, both monopolists of benefits from the State. Instead of dealing with the escalating external debt, anti-democratic laws were passed, such as the Counter-Terrorism and Criminal Organizations Law, to suppress protesters on several occasions.
In collusion with Sergio Cabral, who was accused for corruption and the disappearance of the worker Amarildo by the Rocinha’s UPP, and with the patronage of the press monopolies, which framed the protesters as bandits and terrorists, agents illegally intervened to construct the fraud in this process, and others that engulfed the country.
Throughout the tenure of the targeting ,incarceration or criminalization of the popular struggle, he 23 were denied their fundamental constitutional rights and guarantees. They were stripped of demonstration, as they were prohibited from participating in public meetings and demonstrations.
They were deprived of their right to come and go, prohibited from moving outside the city of Rio de Janeiro; protesters were unable to get jobs, civil servants were threatened with dismissal; some had to suffer unfairly the inequities of prisons, one activist spent 7 months in a maximum security prison. To add to that, family members, especially the elderly, had their health deteriorating.

The protestors' valiant or resilient spirit in the face of incarceration not only by state institutions, but also by the monopoly press, was most commendable. The solidarity of the such a wide range of peoples and all the defenders of the people’s rights who fuelled the fire of the campaign in defence of the 23 throughout this period through events, debates, leafleting and active solidarity with their families, displayed tenacity at it’s zenith.
The mothers, partners and other family members, people who often became aware of the political determinants of the process during the campaigns and who were strongholds of CEBRASPO’s defence work, elevated combative spirit to it’s superlative height. Renowned lawyers acted with daunting courage in the process and all those who contributed in the legal field to expose the legal frauds.
Democrats should salute two tireless fighters who are now martyrs and who fought a relentless battle to the very end to this campaign: José Sales Pimenta and José Maria Galhasi, founding members of CEBRASPO and heroic crusaders of the people’s rights in the countryside and in the city.
The acquittal of the 23 is a victory for democratic rights and a mortal blow expression to those who tried to criminalise and wipe out the legacy of June 2013 and the fight against the World Cup in 2014. The coup plotters, who want to eradicate democratic rights to intensify this economic and social order in crisis, remain unpunished. The current government has no orientation of establishing people’s rights. Those waging battle for land are criminalized and mercilessly attacked by State agents and big landlords’ henchmen.
---
*Freelance journalist

Comments

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Beyond Lata: How Asha Bhosle redefined the female voice with her underrated versatility

By Vidya Bhushan Rawat* The news of iconic Asha Bhosle’s ‘untimely’ demise has shocked music lovers across the country. Asha Tai was 92 years young. Normally, people celebrate a passing at this age, but Asha Bhosle—much like another legend, Dev Anand—never made us feel she was growing old. She was perhaps the most versatile artist in Bombay cinema. Hailing from a family devoted to music, Asha’s journey to success and fame was not easy. Her elder sister, Lata Mangeshkar, had already become the voice of women in cinema, and most contemporaries like Shamshad Begum, Suraiya, and Noor Jehan had slowly faded into oblivion. Frankly, there was no second or third to Lata Mangeshkar; she became the first—and perhaps the only—choice for music directors and all those who mattered in filmmaking. Asha started her musical journey at age 10 with a Marathi film, but her first break in Hindustani cinema came with the film "Chunariya" (1948). Though she was not the first choice of ...

50 years of the Port of Spain miracle: The chase that redefined Indian cricket

By Harsh Thakor* Fifty years ago, India turned the tide to rewrite cricket history, rising from the depths of despair to a moment of enduring glory. Queen’s Park Oval in Port of Spain, Trinidad, is celebrated among cricket grounds for its poetic beauty. For India, it became a theatre of historic triumph. In 1976, it showed the cricketing world what it was made of.

Search This Blog