Villanandanda, a retired woman from rural Brazil, has been living in a one-bedroom apartment in Rio de Janeiro’s favelas since August 2015.
She was one of thousands of residents evicted by Brazil’s president, Michel Temer, after a wave of anti-government protests.
Villanandan’s husband, Roberto, was arrested last month after he went to the police station to protest the removal of a statue of a former President, Dilma Rousseff.
Villanyananda, who is in her late 70s, said that when she arrived at the favela, she was told by security officers that the eviction was for security reasons.
“It’s a crime that I have lived for 40 years, and it’s a violation of my dignity,” Villanande said.
“I was arrested and they made me leave the apartment, because I was wearing a uniform.
They told me that I had to leave, and they threw me out on the street.
I was bleeding profusely.”
Villanandi said that she had no idea why she was detained.
“They said I was suspected of belonging to a group, of being a terrorist.
I didn’t know what they were talking about, but I felt a chill in my heart, like I was being punished.
I thought they would come after me, but they never came after me.”‘
The favelastas are a place of refuge’ Villanando said that her home was being used by local people for illegal drugs, and that her family was forced to move away.
“We have no home, and the faustas are our refuge,” she said.
Villaneza, who was initially unable to return to her job, said she would continue to protest until she had her rights respected.
“The faustases are a country where the poor live, and we are the only ones who live there,” she told Al Jazeera.
“My husband is a policeman.
I have no choice but to protest.
I want justice for all of us.”
Al Jazeera’s Simon Hunter, reporting from Rio de de Janeiro, said he visited Villanander on Saturday, but he was not allowed to see her inside her apartment.
“She is living in fear, and she has lost her job,” he said.
According to local police, Villananding was released from a detention centre on Monday.
Villandando, who does not want to be named, said the detention centre was a facility that had been set up by police in a bid to control the protests.
“A lot of people were afraid to come out because they didn’t want to go into the streets to defend the people,” she added.
“There are so many people here now, they don’t have the time to go out and protest.
They’re not even allowed to get their clothes off.
They are afraid of the police, and this is their fear.”‘
I don’t want anyone to see us’ Villandaanda said that it had been almost a month since her husband was arrested, but that she was still afraid of returning to her apartment in the faventas.
“Every day I have a new fear,” she continued.
“You know, I’ve been arrested, I was in the detention center.
There is a woman who looks after me.
I can’t leave her alone.
We don’t live in fear.”
Alana Martins, the director of the Amnesty International Brazil office, told Aljaazeera that Villanands case highlighted the need for Brazil’s government to ensure her rights were respected.
She said that “she is a victim of the state of emergency and the police repression”.
Al Jazeera also spoke to another of Villandands immediate neighbours, who had been living with her since October.
“In August, they told us to leave the favardas because they were afraid of people who were protesting,” she recalled.
“Now we are afraid because we are living here.
We have no place to go.”
Alia de Souza, a social worker, said Villanandreas plight had been exacerbated by a lack of resources.
“For the past few weeks, there have been no public services, and many of us are having to sleep on the floor in the apartment,” she explained.
“At the moment, there is no electricity, no running water.
We live with no heating.
And this is the same apartment that the police came to evict me from.”
Villandande said that for the past year, she had been working with her family, trying to provide for her family.
“Everything we have is very basic, but the police want us to do it,” she remarked.
“And they say that we need to give them something.
They want to use me as a bargaining chip, and for them to sell me out.”
Villando said she was also working to help other families who had not had their rights respected by the