BRAZIL, 2022 Man was accused and subsequently sentenced by a so-called criminal tribunal (tribunal do crime) for theft inside the favela. This was followed by a painful punishment in which gang members beat his palms with a wooden board. Because the palms have many nerve endings and no layer of subcutaneous fat to provide protection, this is an extremely painful practice.
Favelas are densely populated urban neighborhoods in Brazilian cities that often resemble slums. In many of them, criminal organizations and gangs have control. They frequently create a kind of parallel power structure, including their own laws and punishments for violations. Every resident or visitor of the favela is expected to obey them – the reach of state justice there is very limited.
