An Amnesty International report that accused Brazilian...

An Amnesty International report that accused Brazilian police of torturing and killing thousands of people in 2002 "reflects the truth," the country's top human rights official said. The report said authorities frequently tortured suspects and prisoners to extract confessions. Brazilian police described killings as "resistance followed by death." The group accused federal authorities of failing to ensure that police in Brazil's 26 states complied with human rights laws. "The report reflects the truth of Brazil's human rights situation," Human Rights Secretary Nilmario Miranda said. He said it repeats "what we have known for years." "The number of people killed by police in alleged shootouts with criminals has risen, as has the number of cases of torture and summary executions," Miranda said. Police in Sao Paulo state killed 703 people last year between January and October, the report said, adding that most of the killings "took place in situations which indicated excessive use of force or extrajudicial execution."