Ubiratan Guimarães

Ubiratan Guimarães, known as Colonel Ubiratan (April 19, 1943 – September 9, 2006) was a colonel in the São Paulo Military Police and Brazilian politician. He was the commanding officer responsible for the Carandiru massacre. Guimarães was killed under unclear circumstances in his São Paulo apartment in 2006.

Colonel Guimarães joined the state military police at the age 18 and rose to the rank of colonel, the top hierarchy in the São Paulo Military Police. As a colonel in the military police, where he stayed for 34 years, he commanded the Polícia Militar do Estado de São Paulo and São Paulo metropolitan police. Guimarães was originally charged with 111 counts of murder in June 2001, but the number was later reduced to 102 as there was no evidence police had killed the nine prisoners found stabbed to death. He was initially sentenced to 632 years in prison (six years each for the victims and 20 years for five attempted murders) Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), one of Brazil's most notorious gangs, is said to have been formed as a response to the event.

Political life Guimarães entered politics after the massacre, when his name had become known to the general public. He was twice sworn in as a substitute state representative by center-right Brazilian Social Democratic Party: in January 1997 to April 1998 and from January to March 1999. In 2002 he was re-elected (with number 14 111) state representative for São Paulo with 56,155 votes.

As a Member of Parliament, the retired colonel made public safety his main banner. Guimarães was against the disarming of the population and in favor of stricter rules for detainees, such as the ending of conjugal visits and furloughs. The body was lying on its back, covered only by a towel.

His body was buried on the afternoon of September 11 in the Horto Florestal cemetery in northern São Paulo. The procession was scheduled to end in the chapel, but this was canceled due to the sheer number of people who followed the ceremony. (what goes around, comes around) was sprayed in pichação (a local form of graffiti) on the building where he lived — a reference to the Carandiru massacre.