Third edition of the “Political and Electoral Violence in Brazil” survey reports record cases in 2024
In the past two years, the country has recorded nearly half of all cases reported since 2016;
The final data from the third edition of the Political and Electoral Violence in Brazil survey, conducted by Justiça Global and Terra de Direitos, were released today, Monday, December 16. The survey presents a record number of political violence cases in the country from November 1, 2022, to October 27, 2024, with 714 cases of violence targeting candidates or elected officials — the highest number since the beginning of the historical series.
The survey confirms 2024 as the year with the highest number of recorded incidents since the survey's first edition in 2016. During the 2018 presidential elections, one person fell victim to political violence every 8 days. In 2022, the figure rose to 3 people every 2 days. By 2024, nearly 2 people per day became victims of political violence.
In total, 558 political violence cases were recorded this year, including 27 murders, 129 attacks, 224 threats, 71 physical assaults, 81 offenses, 16 cases of criminalization, and 10 break-ins. Threats are the most recurrent form of violence, representing nearly 40% of the year’s total cases.
2024 Data Breakdown
- Pre-election period (January 1 to August 15): 152 cases
- Election period until the first round (August 16 to October 6): 374 cases
- Between the first and second rounds (October 7 to 27): 32 cases
Gisele Barbieri, Political Advocacy Coordinator at Terra de Direitos, comments, "The high level of political violence in 2024 is concerning but not surprising, as it confirms a trend already identified in previous surveys: the increase in such violence, especially during municipal election periods. This rise can be attributed to the normalization of this violence, as State responses to this situation remain insufficient."
Barbieri also emphasizes the need to address new factors contributing to political and electoral violence. "New issues have been identified, such as the unchecked proliferation of fake news, threats, and offenses in virtual spaces — especially against women — and the involvement of organized crime, whether in funding campaigns or intimidating political agents."
Glaucia Marinho, Executive Director of Justiça Global, underscores that the data from the third edition of the survey points to a deeply concerning issue that needs to be carefully observed: the normalization of political violence through the failure to take effective actions to confront the problem and improve the situation.
"What also draws our attention is the high number of threats, as well as attacks. Political violence continues to be a major scourge of our democracy, and it is crucial that actions be implemented at the municipal, state, and federal levels to effectively address this issue, which impacts left-wing, center, and right-wing political parties across the country," Marinho emphasized.
Growing Political Violence
- Since the beginning of the historical series, 1,583 cases of political violence have been recorded in Brazil.
- In the third edition of the survey, covering the period from November 1, 2022, to October 27, 2024, 714 cases of political violence were recorded, marking the highest number since the beginning of the historical series.
- Over the past two years analyzed in the third edition, the most recurrent form of violence was threats. There were 36 murders, 311 threats, 146 attacks, 95 offenses, 86 physical assaults, 28 cases of criminalization, and 12 break-ins.
- Municipal Elections in the Historical Series: In 2016, 46 cases were recorded. This number increased to 214 cases in 2020, and in 2024, the figure surged to 558 cases. This represents an increase of 344 cases between 2020 and 2024, or nearly 2.6 times the number recorded in 2020. Compared to 2016, the increase is even more striking, with the number of cases in 2024 being over 12 times higher.
- The surge in cases in 2024 represents the persistence of a trend observed during years when municipal elections are held, periods in which, since the beginning of the historical series, we have seen a rise in cases of extreme violence, mainly due to local disputes.
- Despite the escalation of violence, the data reveals a variable pattern, with periods of sharp increases followed by decreases or stabilization. This variation is linked to election years: when elections take place, the number of cases tends to rise, followed by a decline in the subsequent years.
- In 2024, during the period analyzed, the average frequency of recorded incidents was approximately one case every 15 hours.
Geographic Distribution of Data
The survey recorded data on political violence data from all Brazilian states between November 1, 2022, and October 27, 2024. The highest numbers were observed in:
- São Paulo: 108 cases
- Rio de Janeiro: 69 cases
- Bahia: 57 cases
- Minas Gerais: 49 cases
Violence Against Women
Cisgender and transgender women were the targets of 274 incidents, accounting for 38.4% of the total cases. The most common form of violence was threats (135 cases), followed by 19 reports of rape threats. Online attacks made up about 40% of the incidents against women, and 73.5% of the offenses during the pre-election period occurred in parliamentary or campaign settings, with 80% of the perpetrators being cisgender men, most of whom were also parliamentarians.
Measures to Address Political Violence
Both organizations recommend concrete actions to combat and prevent political violence:
- Legislative Power: Programs to combat political violence in legislative bodies, improvement in laws, and expansion of security for teams and shared mandates.
- Superior Electoral Court: Campaigns against hate speech, racism, and gender-based violence, as well as monitoring and combating fake news.
- Electoral and Justice System: Support for victims, well-structured reporting channels, and celerity in the trial of cases.
- Political Parties: Creation of internal reporting mechanisms and promotion of ongoing campaigns against political and electoral violence.
The study emphasizes the urgent need for collaboration between civil society, democratic institutions, and political parties to curb the growth of violence and strengthen democracy in Brazil.
For further information, access the key data of the survey here.
Axes: Human rights policy and culture