Luciane Barbosa, wife of the leader of Comando Vermelho in Amazonas, participated in an event to prevent and combat torture
The Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship, commanded by Silvio Almeida, confirmed that it had paid for one of the trips of Luciane Barbosa Farias, known as the “Amazonian drug lady”, to Brasília. The information was first released by the newspaper The globe and confirmed by Power360 this Wednesday (15.Nov.2023).
In a note (read the full text at the end of this report), the ministry said that the payment was made for the national meeting of the CNPCT (Committees and Mechanisms for the Prevention and Combat of Torture), held on the 6th and 7th of November.
The money used, according to the ministry, came from the CNPCT’s own budget. Luciane was appointed by the Amazonas state committee as the region’s representative for the event, and therefore her trip was paid for by the organization.
“Payment of tickets and daily allowances was made to all participants in a national event, with its own budget reserved for the CNPCT and whose members were EXCLUSIVEly appointed by the state committees”, he said.
The body also highlighted that the Committees to Prevent and Combat Torture have budgetary and administrative autonomy. “These bodies are collegiate and composed of representatives of the State and civil society. They have their own budget line”he said.
The ministry also stated that not even minister Silvio Almeida, “neither the secretary nor anyone from the minister’s office” had contact with Luciene.
“[…] we insist, [o evento] it had more than 70 people from all over Brazil and allowed state committees the free nomination of their representatives”he said.
Luciane shared her participation in the Ministry of Human Rights event in a post on Instagram. In one of the records, she appears alongside the president of the State Committee for the Prevention and Combat of Torture of the State of Amazonas, lawyer Natividade Maia.
The information that the trip had been paid for by the organization was given by Luciane to journalists on Tuesday (Nov 14). The conversation was held after meetings of the “drug lady” at the Ministry of Justice and Public Security became public. She also met with government congressmen throughout this year.
UNDERSTAND THE CASE
President of the ILA (Associação Instituto Liberdade do Amazonas), Luciane is married to Clemilson dos Santos, nicknamed “Tio Patinhas”, who was the “number 1” wanted by the Amazonas police until he was arrested in December 2022. He was convicted of money laundering, association with drug trafficking and criminal organization, and serves 31 years in Tefé prison (AM).
Luciane met with 2 secretaries from the Ministry of Justice, led by Flavio Dino, in March and May 2023. The meetings were first publicized by the newspaper The State of S. Paulo. According to the vehicle, Luciane is a member of the criminal faction Comando Vermelho. She, however, denies the accusation.
On Tuesday (Nov 14), Luciane said that she is not part of any criminal faction and that she learned about her nickname “Amazonian drug lady” in the press. She also stated that she was investigated for association with drug trafficking, but was acquitted in the first instance.
“It was not proven that I was part of a criminal organization. I’m not a faction, I’m Clemilson’s wife. My husband is in prison, paying for his mistake. I never raised a flag defending crime. But I defend the Constitution”he told journalists via Zoom.
Luciane also said that she had never met the Minister of Justice, Flávio Dino, and that she did not inform that she was married to Clemilson during her visits to the ministry.
In a note, the Ministry of Justice stated that it was “impossible” that the ministry’s intelligence sector identified her because she had participated in the meetings with a delegation. Her presence was not recorded in the official diaries.
After the meetings were made public, the body also added 3 new items to the rules for access to its headquarters in Brasília. The new items determine that:
- the name and CPF of all participants and those accompanying the meeting or hearing request are formalized via an institutional email 48 hours in advance;
- the request for a public commitment is sent via institutional email so that the appointment can be evaluated;
- Those interested in a hearing without prior scheduling will be sent to the reception at the Palace of Justice to be identified and oriented.
Read the full text from the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship:
“The statement that the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship (MDHC) paid tickets and daily allowances for Luciane Barbosa Faria to participate in the Meeting of Committees and Mechanisms for the Prevention and Combat of Torture (CNPCT), held on the 6th and 7th of November, in Brasília, contains serious mistakes that need to be clarified.
“Payment of tickets and daily allowances was made to all participants in a national event, with its own budget reserved for the CNPCT and whose members were EXCLUSIVEly appointed by the state committees.
“It is worth highlighting that the Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship is made up of 11 collegiate bodies that, like the CNPCT, have administrative and budgetary autonomy.
“The National System for the Prevention and Combat of Torture (SNPCT) was established by Law No. 12,847 of August 2, 2013. The system is made up, among other bodies, of the National Committee for the Prevention and Combat of Torture (CNPCT) and state committees to prevent and combat torture.
“These bodies are collegiate and composed of representatives of the State and civil society. They have a budget line own and administrative autonomy.
“On November 6th and 7th, 2023, the Meeting of Committees and Mechanisms to Prevent and Combat Torture was held in Brasília.
“The organization of the Meeting, through Official Letter No. 233/2023, requested the State Committees for the Prevention and Combat of Torture in the States to nominate representatives to participate in the activity.
“The State Committee of Amazonas, in turn, among the three people nominated, included the name of Luciane Barbosa Farias as its representative, through letter 40/2023-CEPCT/AM.
“Neither the Minister, nor the secretary, nor anyone from the Minister’s Office had contact with the nominee or even interfered in the organization of the event which, we insist, was attended by more than 70 people from all over Brazil and which allowed the state committees the free nomination of their representatives.”
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