The policy that victimized six years ago not only persists, but is growing in the country. released this week shows that cases against politicians and candidates broke a record in 2024, the same year in which the killers of the Rio councilwoman were killed.
There were 558 incidents counted from January to the second round of these, including threats, attacks, assaults, offenses and murders reported in the media. It is the highest value recorded since 2016, the beginning of the historical series collected by the organizations Justiça Global and Terra de Direito.
The number is equivalent to almost two victims per day. Throughout 2020, when 214 cases were recorded, the proportion was one occurrence every almost two days. In 2016, with 46 records, the frequency was one victim every eight days.
The pace usually skyrockets in years and years: the three months of campaigning concentrated 75% of this year’s episodes, and the week leading up to the first round of voting had an average of 17 occurrences per day. Political crime, however, is a year-round phenomenon.
The results of the study are in the same line as one, carried out by the Political and Electoral Violence Observatory of Unirio (Federal University of Rio de Janeiro), which also showed a record number of cases monitored in the press in the 2024 elections.
“Political violence has become a real instrument to maintain and obtain political privileges in Brazil, and there is a lack of response from the State as a whole. Since this naturalization, cases have been growing”, says Gisele Barbieri, political advocacy coordinator at Land of Rights, which reminds us that cases are underreported.
Added to the reasons for the increase are the proliferation of fake news, unregulated threats and virtual offenses, whether in campaign financing or intimidation of political agents. “We had difficulty classifying cases in RJ or the Amazon, for example, where the two areas are mixed”, says Barbieri.
Threats account for 40% of cases this year, followed by attacks (23%), which grew 42% compared to 2020. The persistence of these attacks and murders in recent years indicates that extreme violence has increasingly become a response common in political disputes, the report concludes.
One of the emblematic episodes of the last campaign was that of (Grande SP), José Aprígio da Silva (), shot in the shoulder inside his official armored car. He was one day before the second round, but he failed to be re-elected.
To collect the data, the researchers scanned the internet using the Python language and keywords, as well as a manual search on social networks, online newspapers and major news portals. They then analyzed each incident to assess the presence of political motivation.
The report points out a curious fact: although councilors are normally the most common targets, in this year’s electoral period there was a reversal, and mayors and vice-mayors became the main victims (34%) — which could signal changes in the dynamics of the disputes. by the local Executive, but requires further studies.
Violence also affects representatives from all political spectrums, from 25 of the 29 parties, with PT and União Brasil at the top of the ranking. The extreme right, right and center right stand out for having eight of the ten most affected parties. Cases of a sexual nature, however, affect more left-wing candidates.
Cis and transgender women, who were 38% of victims, are more vulnerable on the internet and in work spaces, while men are more targeted in external environments, such as in campaign activities. They suffer more verbal, emotional and psychological attacks, and they suffer more physical attacks.
In terms of color, black people, despite being underrepresented in the political system, account for 44% of victims of political violence, a proportion close to that of white people (52%), who are overrepresented. “There is disproportionate violence against these groups,” says Gisele Barbieri.
The study leaves recommendations for four institutions to prevent attacks. To the Legislature, he suggests programs to combat violence, improve laws and expand security for politicians. To the Electoral Court, it proposes campaigns against hate speech and monitoring fake news.
As for the Justice system, he cites support for victims, channels for reporting and speedy judgment of cases. Finally, for political parties, it guides the creation of internal reporting bodies and also the promotion of permanent campaigns.
