The Public Ministry of São Paulo appealed the decision of the Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo that extinguished the sentences of the 74 military police officers convicted of the massacre in the Carandiru prison. In 1992, 111 prisoners were killed by members of the PM during a rebellion.
Sentenced to sentences ranging from 48 to 624 years in prison, the police officers had their decisions canceled under arguments of constitutionality of the pardon granted to the defendants by former president Jair Bolsonaro, in 2022. The Public Ministry, however, claims that the decision was taken without the prosecution has spoken out.
The episode that became known as the Carandiru massacre completed 32 years on October 2nd. In total, 74 military police officers were accused and convicted by a popular jury for the murders of inmates in pavilion 9 of the São Paulo detention center in 1992.
The decision to extinguish these sentences was taken by the Special Body of the Court, which has 25 judges. The judges’ argument was that, with Bolsonaro’s presidential decree considered valid, it would not be possible to stop applying it. In this way, all sentences imposed were abolished.
Shortly after former President Bolsonaro granted the pardon to the PMs, the Public Ministry filed a representation with the Attorney General’s Office alleging the unconstitutionality of the presidential decree.
At the time, the MP’s document pointed out that the granting of the pardon was not compatible with the provisions of the American Convention on Human Rights, promulgated by Decree no. 678, of November 6, 1992. Therefore, the prosecutor asked the PGR to take urgent action.
