Brazil Senate Approves Lula’s Plan to Strengthen Gang Fight
The amendment creates a public security ministry, changes how security agencies coordinate and directs additional resources toward the gang known as PCC, based in the capital, and Rio de Janeiro’s Red Command, or CV. Brazil’s lower house approved the measure in March; the Senate passed it in two rounds without opposition. It is expected to be sanctioned later this week.
The measure also calls for stricter penalties for gang leaders and members, including mandatory imprisonment in maximum-security facilities, limits on parole and seizure of assets. President Jair Bolsonaro, whose term ends in January, voted remotely.
Senators removed a proposal to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16. Security experts have argued that the change would be ineffective and could expose more young people to recruitment by criminal groups inside Brazil’s overcrowded prisons.
Gang violence was a major concern in last month’s presidential election. Drug-trafficking groups have expanded in recent years and control large areas of the Amazon, while paramilitary-style militias have strengthened their hold in Rio and other states.
In June, U.S. State Department officials listed the PCC and CV as foreign terrorist organizations. Lula called the move interference and said it was intended to bolster his election opponent, Flávio Bolsonaro. During the campaign, Bolsonaro pledged to pursue legislation classifying Brazil’s main criminal groups as terrorist organizations.
Brazil Advances Gang Crackdown Without Lowering Criminal Age
Brazil’s Senate has approved a major expansion of the government’s role in fighting criminal gangs, a win for President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and his public-security agenda. The amendment creates a security ministry, changes coordination among agencies and directs more resources toward the PCC and CV.
The measure passed twice in the Senate without opposition after clearing the lower house in March. It is expected to be sanctioned later this week. It provides for tougher penalties, including maximum-security imprisonment, restrictions on parole and asset seizures.
But senators removed a proposal to lower the criminal responsibility age from 18 to 16. Security experts have warned that the change would be ineffective and could make overcrowded prisons a recruiting ground for organized crime. Keeping that provision out of the amendment avoids treating younger people as the answer to a crime problem that demands stronger public institutions.
The vote comes after a presidential campaign in which crime was a major concern. Criminal groups have expanded across parts of the Amazon, and militias have consolidated their influence in Rio and several other states. Lula has also criticized the U.S. decision to designate the PCC and CV as foreign terrorist organizations, calling it interference and saying it aimed to help his rival, Flávio Bolsonaro.
The amendment’s passage puts new resources and coordination at the center of the response, rather than adopting Bolsonaro’s campaign pledge to classify Brazil’s major gangs as terrorist organizations.
Brazil’s Gang Crackdown Leaves Terrorist Designation Unresolved
Brazil’s Senate has approved stronger penalties and new government powers to fight criminal gangs, but the measure leaves unresolved the tougher approach President Jair Bolsonaro promised during the campaign: classifying the country’s largest groups as terrorist organizations.
The amendment creates a public security ministry, changes coordination among security agencies and assigns more resources to the PCC and CV. It passed in two rounds without opposition and is expected to be sanctioned later this week. Gang leaders and members could face mandatory maximum-security imprisonment, limits on parole and asset seizures.
Bolsonaro had pledged legislation labeling the PCC and CV as terrorist organizations. The U.S. State Department made that designation in June, but Lula characterized the move as interference and an effort by President Donald Trump to bolster Flávio Bolsonaro, Lula’s election opponent.
Senators also removed a proposal to lower the criminal responsibility age from 18 to 16. Experts say such a change would be ineffective and could increase recruitment into criminal groups in overcrowded prisons. The amendment therefore increases penalties for gang members without adopting that proposal.
Crime was a major issue in last month’s election. Drug-trafficking groups have expanded into large areas of the Amazon, and paramilitary-style militias have strengthened their influence in Rio and other states. The new law adds resources and penalties as those groups continue to pose a national security challenge.
Reported by The Philadelphia Inquirer.
