UNHCR urges action on Brazil jail deaths

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights expressed deep unease Wednesday at the poor state of Brazilian jails and demanded government action, after 60 inmates died in 2013. "We regret having to once again express concern at the dire state of prisons in Brazil and urge the authorities to take immediate action to restore order," the UNHCR office said on its website. The statement followed Tuesday's gruesome publication of video footage showing three decapitated inmates at Pedrinhas prison in the northern state of Maranhao. The UNHCR urged the Brazilian authorities to carry out a "prompt, impartial and effective investigation" into events at the jail and prosecute those found responsible for abuses. Human Rights Watch has long flagged up problems in Brazil's jails where overcrowding, torture and other abuses are rife. Four inmates died in a December 17 fight at Pedrinhas penitentiary. The Folha de São Paulo newspaper on Tuesday showed gruesome pictures and video footage of the victims. Brazil's National Council of Justice (NCJ) says Maranhao jail deaths topped 60 in 2013 with the jail holding almost twice its official 3,300 capacity. According to Human Rights Watch director Maria Laura Canineu, "the grisly crimes caught on camera are part of a broader problem of uncontrolled violence in Maranhao's prisons." Canineu called on the Brazilian state to investigate and restore order as a matter of urgency. A report by the NCJ following a series of prison visits found a system in thrall to criminal gangs and poor security for inmates. Brazil reportedly has the world's largest prison population -- rising 380 percent in the past 20 years. Earlier this week, Brazil's federal Justice Ministry said it would help Maranhao authorities by transferring prison gang leaders to detention centers in other states.