(Credit: Luiz da Luz)
GOIAS, BRAZIL — A photo is circulating online showing a protester being hit with so much force by a military police officer that the officer’s baton snapped upon impact.
It another painful reminder that police misconduct is a global phenomenon, and is fundamentally a human rights issue.
Matthew Ferreira da Silva was participating in protests that were part of a general strike in the region.
He is a student currently studying Social Sciences and shared the concerns of many protesters about political corruption.
He was evidently not engaged in aggressive behavior at the time of the attack, which has prompted the Military Police Magistrate to investigate the photographic evidence and hold the officer accountable.
“I want justice,” said Matthew’s mother. “That person who did this to my son must have children too. He must realize what he did wrong. Let him be punished, ” she continued.
Matthew was rushed to the hospital where the injury required four hours of surgery to repair the frontal bones of his face.
He has been diagnosed with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) and suffered multiple skull fractures.
To make matters worse, some witnesses were suggesting that the officer was smiling as he felt the baton driving into Matthew’s skull.
A close-up of the image may have caught this.
While it is difficult to say for sure whether the expression is a smile or a wincing from effort, but regardless, the action has sparked widespread condemnation in Brazil and citizens there are demanding that the officer involved is held accountable.
Source Article from http://filmingcops.com/photo-shows-cop-break-baton-protesters-face/
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