WE ARE THE FIRST ORGANIZATION SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED ON ADDRESSING THE SERIOUS ISSUE WRONGFUL CONVICTIONS IN BRAZIL.
WE PROVIDE FREE SERVICE.
OUR CASES
CARLOS EDMILSON SILVA
Carlos Edmilson was identified as a serial rapist who, armed with a knife, sexual assaulted and sometimes robbed women on the Castelo Branco Highway. His photograph was shown to all the women who reported being attacked in that area, and he was convicted in 12 cases. The Project worked on 10 cases, demonstrating his innocence through DNA evidence and the invalidity of unscientific and suggestive identifications. After four years of work by the Project, in May 2024, the Superior Court of Justice overturned the remaining convictions.
LUCAS SANTOS DE MEDEIROS
Lucas was convicted solely due to a mistaken identification made by one of the victims. He became a suspect simply because he was among the Facebook friends of someone being investigated for a series of pharmacy robberies in São Paulo. From there, a succession of errors led to his conviction. The Project demonstrated all the illegality and mistakes in the identification, as well as presenting cell phone records that proved Lucas was watching videos online while the actual perpetrators were committing the crime.
LEARN MORE
SÍLVIO JOSÉ DA SILVA MARQUES
Sílvio was sentenced to 17 years in prison for an attempted felony-murder (robbery followed by death) that occurred in November 2015 in the city of Rio de Janeiro. The conviction was based solely on proof of recognition, made unlawfully and contradicted by robust evidence of innocence. After producing new evidence that Silvio was not at the scene of the crime, the Project was able to exonerate him in December 2021, by decision of the Superior Court of Justice. Sílvio remained almost 6 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.
CLEBER MICHEL ALVES
Cleber was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the rape of a teenage girl that allegedly happened in September 2016, in the city of Cerquilho (SP). In March 2020, at the initiative of the Project, the alleged victim recanted and revealed that the crime never occurred. After three and a half years in prison, Cleber was released and was finally able to meet his son, born a few weeks after his arrest. In August 2021, the São Paulo Court of Justice unanimously acquitted Cleber
LEARN MORE
IGOR BARCELOS ORTEGA
Igor was sentenced to 15 years and 6 months in prison, as a co-author of a robbery and an attempted felony-murder, committed in the city of Guarulhos, in October 2016. Against all the evidence in the case file, Igor was convicted after one of the two victims recognized him by photo and confirmed this recognition at a hearing. He remained imprisoned for almost 3 years, until he was released by the Court of Justice of the State of São Paulo in July 2019, during the Criminal Review trial proposed by the Innocence Project Brasil. Finally, in July 2021, the Court acknowledged his innocence.
ROBERT MEDEIROS DA SILVA SANTOS
Robert was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison, in two bus robbery cases in September and November 2018. He was mistakenly named as the author of the crimes, in recognition procedures carried out in disagreement with the law. The Project obtained reliable evidence that Robert did not participate in any of the crimes, which led to his release by the Superior Court of Justice on Christmas Day 2020. A few months later, the same Court acquitted Robert in both cases.
LEARN MORE
_edited.jpg)
ANTÔNIO CLÁUDIO BARBOSA DE CASTRO
Accused of being the "motorcycle maniac" who raped women on the streets of Fortaleza in 2014, Antônio Cláudio was arrested and convicted based solely on proof of recognition. In partnership with the Public Defender's Office of Ceará, the Innocence Project Brasil produced new evidence that demonstrated the impossibility of Antônio Cláudio being the author of the crimes. Thanks to this evidence, the Court of Justice of Ceará accepted the Criminal Review proposed by the Project and the Defender's Office and acquitted him in July 2019. He spent 5 years unjustly imprisoned.
ATERCINO FERREIRA DE LIMA FILHO
Atercino was sentenced in November 2016 to 27 years in prison on charges that he sexually abused his two children when they were kids. After 11 months in prison, the Innocence Project Brasil demonstrated that the charges against him were false, as the alleged victims themselves eventually admitted. The Court of Justice of São Paulo recognized the innocence of Atercino and ordered his release in March 2018, in the first acquittal won by the Project.
LEARN MORE
The Innocence Project Brasil is a non-profit association and depends on the donation of people who support our work.
If you want to make a bank transfer, these are the details of our account:
Innocence Project Brasil
Itaú Bank
Agency: 0350
Current Account: 19.165-6
CNPJ: 26.733.385/0001-90
PIX Key: doe@innocencebrasil.org
