Special Secretariat for Human Rights
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The Special Secretariat for Human Rights (Portuguese: Secretaria Especial dos Direitos Humanos, or "SEDH") is an office attached to the office of the President of the Federative Republic of Brazil. Its purpose is to implement, promote, and protect human rights, civic rights, and the rights of children, adoloscents, the elderly, and the disabled. It functions in a manner similar to the offices of human rights attorneys or ombudsmen that exist in other countries.
The Special Secretariat was created on 17 April 1997, during the first administration of Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Called the National Human Rights Secretariat (Secretaria Nacional dos Direitos Humanos), it was initially attached to the Ministry of Justice. On 1 January 1999, responsibility for the Secretariat was transferred to the president's office and it assumed its current name.
It is headed by the Special Secretary for Human Rights (Secretário Especial dos Direitos Humanos), a ministerial-level position.
- Appointed April 1997: José Gregori
- November 2001 to January 2003: Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro
- January 2003 to July 2005: Nilmário Miranda
- July 2005 to December 2005: Mário Mamede (interim)
- December 2005 to date: Paulo de Tarso Vannuchi
