The Brazilian judiciary confronted a myriad of difficulties, including failure to function expeditiously, lack of independence and corruption.
The overly broad jurisdiction accorded to the military judiciary and the resulting impunity contributes to further human rights violations by police forces. Lawyers defending prisoners faced undue obstacles in carrying out their duties. Debate in Congress concerning judicial reform continued, without achieving substantial progress.
Attacks on Justice 2002 – Brazil [full text, PDF]