Open Letter for the Democratization and Transparency of the Judiciary

São Paulo / Brasília – The human rights NGO Conectas is one of the more than 200 civil society organizations that will publicly release today (31/1), at 2 pm, in the Federal Council of the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) in Brasília, the “Open Letter for the Democratization and Transparency of the Judiciary”. The letter was prepared by JusDH – Justice and Human Rights Articulation – and is being acknowledged as one of the leading mobilizations of society on the issue of the transparency of the Judicial Branch.

“We are living at a time when transparency has been recognized as a value for all agencies of the State, and it is expedient to discuss the Judiciary, including the National Justice Council (CNJ) and the Federal Supreme Court (STF), from the same transparency stance,” said Juana Kweitel, director of Conectas. “Oversight of the conduct of judges, including allegations of nepotism and corruption, however, is only part of a broader discussion on the opaqueness of the Brazilian Judiciary.”

Following the allegations brought to light by the National Judicial Administration Office, and the corporate reaction of sectors of the national court system, the Open Letter has served as a vehicle for society to express its desire for changes to the Judicial Branch, in an effort to make it more democratic, sensitive to the economic, social and cultural problems of the Brazilian people, and truly committed to the realization of human rights in the country.

Therefore, the Open Letter shall be presented to the highest bodies of the Brazilian justice system, with the intention of demonstrating to the Judiciary, the Public Prosecutor’s Office, the Public Defender’s Office and the legal profession that organized society wants a genuine Reform of the Judiciary, geared towards the Democratization of Justice.

Event: Public Ceremony, Federal Council of the OAB in Defense of the CNJ
Venue: Federal Council of the OAB – Brasília/DF
Time: 2 pm, Tuesday, 31/01