Antonio Fernandez Saenz
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Antonio Fernandez Saenz is a Spanish / Brazilian lawyer and human rights defender born in 1947. When he was a small child, his family emigrate from Spain to Brazil, running out from Francisco Franco dictatorship and seeking a new country to start, free from a lack of liberty in his own homeland.
When he was a young student, he edited and wrote into several students´s newspapers, being specially active after the "Revolução of 1964" in Brazil, who established a Military dictatorship in Brazil from 1964 to 1986.
This writings, exposing the Political repression and torture in Brazil, brings him the attention of agents of DOI-CODI the political police of Brazil at that time, as well as CISA ( Centro de Informação e Segurança da Aeronáutica / Brazil Air Force Intelligence Agency) agents
( See more about CISA at http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0011-52582005000100005 )
In order to avoid his arrest and torture - a common practice in Brazil - Antonio was forced by political police to stop writing during the dictatorship of General Artur da Costa e Silva.
Shortly after his return from a trip to United States in 1972, he enter in the Law School, graduating in 1975, and starting to practice law in shantytown ( "favelas" ) and empoverished neighborhoods of São Paulo and surrounding cities. People start to call him "Advogado dos Pobres" ( lawyer of poors )
His work continues, ininterrupted, for 30 years. He presently is a volunteer of several NGO´s, as well as a full member of Pastoral dos Direitos Humanos da Igreja Pentecostal e Apostólica Missão Jesus
On 2005, in a case with international repercussion, he and three other members of Pastoral dos Direitos Humanos da Igreja Pentecostal e Apostólica Missão Jesus were illegally arrested when denouncing civil and military police of State of São Paulo in Brazil of torture, extortion and sexually assaulting children.
Quoting Amnesty Report 2006:
"In September, military police raided the offices of Antonio Fernandez Saenz, a lawyer working with the socially deprived inhabitants of São Bernardo do Campo, south of São Paulo. The officers allegedly did not present a search warrant and took several documents containing statements by local residents accusing civil and military police of torture, extortion and sexually assaulting children. When Antonio Fernandez Saenz tried to report the incident to the civil police, he was threatened and intimidated. According to reports, he continued to receive anonymous death threats."
http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGAMR190222005?open&of=ENG-BRA
Quoting US State Department on "Country Reports on Human Rights Practices - 2005" about Brazil;
"A number of domestic and international human rights groups generally operated without government restriction, investigating and publishing their findings on human rights cases. Federal officials usually were cooperative and responsive to their views. Although federal and state officials in many cases sought the aid and cooperation of NGOs in addressing human rights problems, human rights monitors occasionally were threatened and harassed for their efforts to identify and take action against human rights abusers, particularly members of the state police forces. On September 21, AI reported death threats against Antonio Fernandez Saenz, a lawyer who provided legal assistance to socially deprived inhabitants of Sao Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo State. According to AI, military police threatened Saenz and his family and also broke into his office and stole documents which allegedly incriminated civil and military police in human rights violations."
http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2005/61718.htm
Quoting United Nations Commission on Human Rights, 27/March/2006;
"On 10 October 2005 the Special Rapporteur sent a joint urgent appeal with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of the right to freedom of opinion and expression and the Special Representative of the Secretary-General on the situation of human rights, regarding Antonio Fernandez Saenz,, lawyer, Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz, evangelical minister, José Fernandez Saenz, evangelical minister, and Dirce Ramiro de Andrade, journalist working for the evangelical church. Antonio Fernandez Saenz is a lawyer who provides legal assistance to socially deprived inhabitants of the Jardim Lavínia, Silvinha and Montanhão neighbourhoods in São Bernardo do Campo, a town south of São Paulo. In addition he provides voluntary legal support to the human rights chapter of the Pentecostal and Apostolic Church of the Mission of Jesus in São Paulo, which is run by his two brothers Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz and José Fernando Saenz, who, like him, have dual Spanish and Brazilian citizenship. Journalist Dirce de Andrade works at the same church as the two brothers. According to the information received, on 3 September 2005, after midnight, it was reported that several military police officers forced their way into Antonio Fernandez Saenz’s office in São Bernardo do Campo. The officers reportedly presented no search warrant and took several documents containing statements by local residents accusing the civil and military police of torture, extortion and sexually assaulting children. After reporting the robbery to the military police, officers from the 2nd Company of the 6th Battalion in the State of São Paulo allegedly tried to dissuade Antonio Fernandez Saenz from filing a complaint, and threatened and intimidated him and his wife. Journalist Dirce de Andrade was also threatened with detention and prohibited from taking any photographs at the scene. Subsequently, Dirce de Andrade, Antonio Fernandez Saenz, Manuel Fernando Fernandez and José Fernandez Saenz went to the 2nd police station of São Bernardo do Campo to file a complaint there. They were reportedly charged with “disobedience” and “disrespect of authority” before being released. Following the reported intervention of a local police officer, Antonio Fernandez Saenz filed a complaint regarding the unlawful entry to, and theft of documents from, his office. Dirce de Andrade, Antonio Fernandez Saenz, Manuel Fernando Fernandez and José Fernandez had reported continuing harassment and anonymous telephone calls threatening them and urging them to drop the complaint. Concern was expressed for the safety of Antonio Fernandez Saenz and his wife, Manuel Fernando Fernandez Saenz, José Fernandez Saenz and Dirce Ramiro de Andrade. It was feared that the search of Antonio Fernandez Saenz’s office and the subsequent threats constitute an attempt to silence these individuals and prevent them from documenting and reporting on alleged human rights violations committed by the civil and military police."
http://www.ohchr.org/english/bodies/chr/docs/62chr/E.CN.4.2006.52.Add.1.pdf
