07/05/2024 – 20:24
Julie-Pascale Moudouté, Gabon’s ambassador to Brazil, said her 13-year-old son is traumatized after he and two friends, all black, were violently approached by military police in Rio de Janeiro on Tuesday (3). The other two boys are also sons of diplomats, one from Canada and the other from Burkina Faso.
Moudouté sees clear signs of racism in the police officers’ behavior. Two other white friends who were with them at the time of the approach did not suffer the same attacks.
“What we find strange is that only the three of them were up against the wall. They are of different nationalities and black. We need an explanation for that too. We believe in Brazilian justice. The boys’ trauma is not just from one day. It will remain and we will have to deal with it,” said the ambassador, in an interview with TV Brazil.
A video shows the police officers arriving with guns drawn and forcing the teenagers against the wall. Julie-Pascale Moudouté said that at first her son did not say much about the incident. It was only after they had access to the conversations he had with his older brother that they realized the true extent of the attacks and were left in shock.
“They are only 13 years old. Putting a gun to a boy’s head, imagine how that affects him? He has never seen a gun, not even a toy. Because in our house, we don’t offer that kind of toy. A 13-year-old child being approached in such a violent way, against a wall? Having to show his genitals? First of all, the approach has to be respectful. Ask for his parents, because they are minors. And don’t get out of the police car already with a gun,” says the ambassador.
Investigations
The Military Police press office stated that the officers involved in the action were wearing body cameras and that the images will be analyzed to determine whether there was any excess on the part of the agents.
“In all training courses, the State Secretariat of Military Police includes subjects such as Human Rights, Ethics, Constitutional Law and Special Laws in the curriculum as an absolute priority for the enlisted men and officers who are part of the Corporation’s staff,” says a note released by the PM.
The Civil Police reported that after news reports about the incident were released, the Special Tourism Support Unit (Deat) began an investigation. Agents will seek to interview the teenagers who were approached.
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