The protests emerged in [[June]] of 2013 against the increase of public transportation fares, and as a consequence, many people have started to protest against Brazil hosting the World Cup. This has caused many different problems, including the eviction of more than 250,000 people who have lost their homes. Most people were poor and even though many have lived in their neighborhoods for a very long time, their property rights were not recognized by the official legal system. Which made it easier to evict them with little or no compensation.
Therefore, the Brazilian government has been illegally arresting activists, in addition to monitoring their personal activities. The government, with the massive support of mainstream media, has been infringing people’s rights and the majority of the population is not even aware of such facts. The activists are still suffering many consequences while waiting to find out how their futures will unfold. \nThese activists have not only lost their rights to be involved in the organization of different political protests, but they have also lost their freedom, which has been impacted in many different levels.
The Brazilian government has adopted methods of “prevention” that can be considered illegal. The government has been [[monitoring]] activists’ online activities, which has been used against the protestors.
In December of 2014, the trials began. Some [[activists | 2]] have had the habeas corpus denied while others are still waiting their trial date. Even though some of them are waiting for their trial in freedom, they have been prevented from many rights such as leaving their cities as well as participating in any demonstrations or public gatherings.
The [[activists]] were arrested on the grounds that they were involved in the organization of a protest that could be considered violent. The protest was scheduled to happen on the following day during the final match of the World Cup in Brazil. Therefore, the arrests were a method of “[[prevention]].”
There was no [[proof]] that the [[activists]] were criminals or that they had committed any illegal action. Some of them were professors at different universities in Rio de Janeiro. They were [[arrested]] based on phone calls and online conversations that had been monitored by the [[government]].
On July 12th, 2014, the day before the [[World Cup]] final match, around 20 [[activists]] were [[arrested]] in the state of Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.\n
During the protests that occurred in June of 2013, hundreds of activists and journalists, who were either peacefully protesting or were working, ended up experiencing some level of police brutality and many were [[arrested | 2]].
The Brazilian [[government]] has been [[spying |monitoring]] on activists’ personal activities and it has been adopting tactics that go against a real democracy, freedom of speech and privacy. The government is arresting individuals as a method of "prevention" as opposed to accurate illegal actions.\n
Brazilian authorities have often times manipulated what is considered a legal proof required to arrest an individual. For instance, during the [[June]] protests in 2013, the journalist Piero Locatelli was arrested for carrying a legal substance: vinegar.