The Peoples’ Summit, together with social movements and civil society organizations, delivered a letter to the Federal Public Prosecutor’s Office (MPF) expressing “deep concern” over the use of the Guarantee of Law and Order (GLO) during the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP30), which will be hosted in Belém. The concern centers on the militarization of the event and potential risks to free and democratic popular participation.
The letter was delivered to Federal Prosecutor for Citizens’ Rights Nicolao Dino during the MPF’s Pre-COP event held on Monday (October 20) in Belém. The document is titled “On the Undesired Militarization of COP30 and the Necessary Guarantee of Participation by Civil Society and Social Movements.”
The delivery was made by representatives of the Sociedade Paraense de Defesa dos Direitos Humanos (SDDH), the Associação Brasileira de Juristas pela Democracia – Núcleo Pará (ABJD/PA), the Centro de Estudos e Defesa do Negro do Pará (CEDENPA), the Movimento dos Atingidos por Barragens (MAB), and Terra de Direitos.
The document expresses concern about the possible decree of a GLO operation during COP30, an exceptional measure that authorizes the use of the Armed Forces in cases of serious disturbance of public order. The mechanism, formalized by Complementary Law No. 97/1999, has its origins in practices from Brazil’s military regime, when the Armed Forces were used for internal order control.
According to the organizations, invoking GLO would represent an undue militarization of a civil and environmental event, threatening fundamental rights to protest, assembly, and free expression, as well as democratic participation by civil society. The document also seeks to safeguard the security of human rights defenders and ensure safe conditions for popular mobilizations during the conference.
The letter emphasizes that the use of GLO in civilian events is legally inappropriate, unnecessary, and disproportionate, in line with the Supreme Federal Court’s interpretation in ADI 6457, which limits its use to exceptional situations and only after ordinary public security mechanisms have been exhausted. The text underscores that there is no concrete threat to public order that would justify deploying the Armed Forces at COP30 and that the authorities’ concerns appear to focus on social protests rather than public safety.
“Protests are legitimate instruments for strengthening democracy and the climate struggle, not threats to order,” the document states. The organizations further warn that Brazil must ensure COP30 takes place in an environment of respect, inclusion, and freedom, and that militarizing such an event would run counter to constitutional and international human rights principles.
History of repression and the duty of non-repetition
The organizations recall Brazil’s history of criminalizing social movements and violently repressing protests, particularly in the Amazon region—such as in the Eldorado dos Carajás massacre, the construction of the Belo Monte dam, and repressions against quilombola communities, students, and environmental defenders. The letter also references the Inter-American Court of Human Rights’ ruling in the Antônio Tavares Pereira case, which condemned Brazil for disproportionate use of force and established, among other measures, the duty of non-repetition of repressive practices and human rights violations.
“Militarization does not protect order—it only multiplies violence and reinforces institutional racism, disproportionately targeting Black, Indigenous, and traditional community leaders,” the signatory organizations state.
Guarantee of participation
The document reaffirms that hosting COP30 in the Amazon aims to give visibility to peoples and communities directly affected by the climate crisis, not to isolate local populations from global decisions about the planet’s future. It rejects “any military cordon that limits interaction among the diverse actors who will gather in Belém.”