BRAZIL Federative Republic of Brazil Head of state and government: Michel Temer (replaced Dilma Rousseff in August) Police continued to use unnecessary and excessive force, particularly in the context of protests. Young people and black men, mainly those living in favelas and other marginalized communities, were disproportionately targeted with violence by law enforcement officials. Human rights defenders, especially those defending land and environmental rights, faced increased threats and attacks. Violence against women and girls remained widespread. Human rights violations and discrimination against refugees, asylum-seekers and migrants intensified. BACKGROUND On 31 August, President Dilma Rousseff was impeached after a long process in Congress, after which Vice-President Michel Temer took office. The new government announced several measures and proposals with the potential to impact human rights, including a constitutional amendment (PEC 241/55) capping government expenses over the next 20 years that could negatively affect investments in education, health and other areas. The amendment was approved in the House of Representatives and the Senate and was heavily criticized by the UN Special Rapporteur on extreme poverty and human rights. In Congress, several proposals that would impinge on the rights of women, Indigenous Peoples, children, and lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex (LGBTI) individuals were pending discussion. In September a special commission in the House of Representatives approved changes to family law to define family as the union between a man and a woman. Brazil had not yet ratified the Arms Trade Treaty nor signed the Convention on Cluster Munitions. Brazil played a significant role in Amnesty International Report 2016/17 ongoing negotiations for a treaty that would ban nuclear weapons, to be finalized in 2017. In December, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights convicted the Brazilian state for tolerating slave labour and trafficking of people, based on conditions of farm workers in the northern state of Pará. PUBLIC SECURITY Homicides and gun violence remained high throughout the country, with estimates putting the number of victims of homicides in 2015 at over 58,000. The authorities failed to propose a plan to address the situation. On 29 January, 10 people were killed and 15 wounded by gunmen in the city of Londrina, Paraná state. Six of the seven people detained during the investigation into the incident were military police officers. In March, following her visit to Brazil, the UN Special Rapporteur on minority issues presented to the Human Rights Council her recommendations that both the military police and the automatic classification of killings by the police as “resistance followed by death” – which presumes that the police acted in self-defence and does not lead to any investigation – be abolished. In September the federal government authorized the deployment of armed forces in the state of Rio Grande do Norte to support the police after several days of attacks by criminal gangs on buses and public buildings. At least 85 people were detained for allegedly participating in the attacks. On 18 November, seven men were shot dead in Imperatriz, Maranhão, after an offduty military police officer had been targeted for attempted robbery and physical assault. 2016 Olympic Games The authorities and organizers of the 2016 Olympic Games failed to implement necessary measures to prevent human rights violations by security forces before and during the sporting event.1 This led to a repetition of violations witnessed during other major sporting events hosted in the city of Rio 91