Judge censures Brazilian troops

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A Brazilian judge has ordered troops to leave a Rio de Janeiro shanty town after a group of soldiers was allegedly involved in the deaths of three men.

The men were allegedly handed over to a drug gang by the soldiers and were tortured before being shot dead and their bodies left in a rubbish dump.

The decision could well be the subject of an appeal by the government.

But President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said he was outraged by what he called an abominable incident.

The ruling is a further embarrassment for the Brazilian army.

Tortured, killed and dumped

Judge Regina de Carvalho made her decision after 11 soldiers were accused of involvement in the deaths of three young men from the shanty town of Providencia, one of hundreds of such favelas in Rio de Janeiro.

More than 18% of Brazil's population live in shanty towns

Three of the soldiers - including the lieutenant in charge of the unit - are said by police to have confessed to having handed over the men to a drug gang in a neighbouring district.

There, they were tortured and killed, before their bodies were thrown onto a nearby rubbish dump.

The soldiers had earlier arrested the three men after accusing them of showing disrespect, and a lawyer for the lieutenant has said they did not think the men would be killed by the drug gang.

Lack of preparation

Military engineers from the army have been helping with a development project in the area since December last year, while other soldiers were patrolling the area to ensure their safety.

The judge has now ruled that the engineers can continue with their work, but that the other soldiers should be replaced by specially trained military personnel from the National Public Security Force.

In her ruling she referred to the army's "inability and lack of preparation" in guaranteeing order in Rio de Janeiro.

The judge's conclusion that using the military for this kind of operation violates the constitution seems likely to intensify debate over exactly what role, if any, the army can play in helping to deal with Rio's complex security problems.