The even-increasing trove of US diplomatic cables released by WikiLeaks is shedding light on the realities the people of Rio de Janeiro will be facing as that city prepares to host the 2016 Summer Olympic Games. The released cables focus mainly on Rio de Janeiro's Orwellian-named "Favela Pacification Program," run by Rio's Peacemaker Police Units known as UPP, and discuss the possibility of human rights violations in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics.
Implemented in 2008, the Favela Pacification Program is run by Rio's elite police battalion with the aim of establishing a permanent police presence to "pacify" Rio's violent favelas. The creation of the UPP is essentially an attempt to put a new face on Rio's notoriously corrupt and violent police force. UPP Commander Col. Jose Carvalho is quoted in the cables saying, "We need fresh, strong minds, not a Rambo ... The older generation of cops is more oriented to kicking down doors and shooting people."
But as the cables reveal, the UPP seems less concerned about its notoriously violent past and more concerned with the 2016 Olympics and potential profits available in Rio's favelas. According to the cables, Rio's winning bid for the 2016 Games has increased the pace of UPP's favela program. In a meeting with US consulate officers shortly after Rio won the 2016 Olympic bid, Roberto Alzir of Rio's State Security Secretariat "expressed optimism that Rio's hosting of the 2016 Olympics will make state, local and federal authorities "move forward, faster" on favela pacification."
rest at http://www.truth-out.org/wikileaks-cables-anticipate-human-rights-violations-lead-up-rio-olympics67775
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