Brazilian Police Officers Who Allegedly Murdered a Man Convicted
Police officers who allegedly murdered the Brazilian construction worker named Amarildo de Souza were recently convicted of torture, forced disappearance and murder. They were sentenced to 10 to 14 years in prison, EFE reports.
The news comes in light of the previous disappearance of de Souza back in July 2013. After a long wait, de Souza's family received a development of the case when the eight suspected Brazilian police officers were finally convicted, the publication adds.
Included in the recently announced convicted authorities is Edson Raimundo dos Santos. He was the commander of the police station in Rocinha, where de Souza was last seen, according to Fox News Latino.
The commander was also identified as the instigator of the crime and was sentenced to 13 years and seven months in jail, per the publication. The conviction charges revealed that de Souza "was slain" and was not able "to withstand the torture" from the police officers, resulting to his death.
The case further cited that the police officers were acting with "cowardice, breaking of the law, lack of purpose and abuse of power," the news outlet revealed. The publication said that de Souza was questioned last July 14, 2013 as he was mistaken to be a drug trafficker.
The conviction comes with the issue of racism as de Souza was part "of a marginalized community," which are usually "vulnerable to police persecution," the publication reports.
Rio Times Online previously said that de Souza's case was opened back in June 2015 to determine the reason that the Batalhão de Operações Policiais Especiais (BOPE) police unit entered Rocinha the night when de Souza disappeared. The publication revealed that the incident was caught on camera, which showed 10 BOPE police officers simultaneously entering the place near the Pacifying Police Unit (UPP) station.
The case was also reopened because the cameras were suspiciously turned off during the day that the police officers allegedly released de Souza; therefore, disclaiming that they are responsible for his death.
"The presence of BOPE really needs to be clarified. There was an official justification. It was an attack, the imminence of an attack on the UPP, but then we go to hear the drug traffickers and [they say nothing about] an attack concerning the UPP, no comment in this regard. And you have another fact, as police who were there were discharged at exactly the time when the BOPE [action] was launched. So why did the BOPE go there?" Justice Carmem Eliza Bastos de Carvalho said as quoted by the news agency.
Fox News Latino revealed that de Souza's body remains to be missing.
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