The United States government's decision to classify Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC) and Comando Vermelho (CV) as terrorist organizations has opened a new chapter in international cooperation to combat organized crime and has generated strong political repercussions in Brazil.
The announcement was made this Thursday (28) by the American government, even in the face of diplomatic efforts by the Brazilian government to avoid the measure. The classification places the two largest criminal factions in the country under a stricter regime of sanctions and international monitoring. The information is from Folha de S. Paul.
What changes in practice
According to experts interviewed by the American and Brazilian press, the main immediate consequence of the classification is the strengthening of the legal mechanisms available to the United States authorities.
The measure allows for the freezing of assets and property located in the United States, expands financial monitoring, restricts transactions with individuals or companies linked to the organizations, and facilitates the deportation or expulsion of members found on U.S. soil.
The U.S. State Department says the classification aims to financially isolate organizations, making it more difficult for them to access the banking system and resources that could be used for criminal activities.
Experts disagree on the impact.
Despite the political significance of the decision, experts believe that the concrete effects on the daily operations of the factions may be limited.
Researcher Michael Traugott, from the University of Michigan, believes that the new classification significantly expands the investigative and repressive tools available to the United States. Douglas Farah, a specialist in transnational crime, believes that the measure will have more political and symbolic impact than operational impact, especially because PCC and CV do not maintain significant formal structures in American territory.
Among those who had already expressed concern about this possibility is that of prosecutor Lincoln Gakiya, one of the leading experts in combating criminal factions in the country.
In an interview given in March to journalist Miriam Leitão of O Globo, Gakiya assessed that equating criminal factions with terrorism could generate practical consequences not only for criminal investigations, but also for the Brazilian economy.
According to the prosecutor, one of the first consequences would be a change in the way cooperation between Brazilian and American authorities currently occurs in the fight against organized crime.
Gakiya stated that the current dialogue between the Federal Police, the Brazilian Public Prosecutor's Office, and the FBI could be profoundly affected.
According to the prosecutor, information related to the factions would then be handled by intelligence agencies, such as the CIA, which could make it more difficult to share data and conduct joint investigations.
Debate on possible intervention
One of the points that has generated the most concern in Brasilia is the discussion about possible interpretations that could open the door to unilateral actions by the United States on issues related to combating organized crime.
Experts consulted disagree on this possibility. While some believe the scenario cannot be completely ruled out given the stance adopted by the Trump administration in other regions, others consider any action without express authorization from the Brazilian government unlikely, due to the diplomatic and political costs involved.
Brazilian government reaction
The measure provoked an immediate reaction from the federal government.
The Special Advisor to the Presidency for International Affairs, Celso Amorim, stated that international cooperation in combating organized crime is important, but stressed that any justification for foreign intervention in Brazilian territory would be unacceptable.
Behind the scenes, government officials had already been expressing concern about the potential political and legal repercussions of classifying the factions as terrorist organizations.
Political pressure is growing.
The American decision also reignited the debate in the National Congress about bills that seek to equate Brazilian criminal factions with terrorist organizations.
Governors, opposition parliamentarians, and sectors linked to public security advocate for the adoption of stricter instruments to combat organized crime. Critics of the proposal argue that the indiscriminate expansion of the concept of terrorism could generate legal uncertainty and trivialize a classification traditionally reserved for groups with political or ideological motivations.
Although the concrete effects still depend on the practical implementation of the measure, the United States' decision represents a milestone in international cooperation against transnational organized crime.
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