I have nightmares, says PM victim in act against Bolsonaro – 06/24/2023 – Politics

“I have nightmares at night, I don’t like to be remembering the situation, because every time I talk it comes back [à mente] all over again, it’s suffering”.

The speech is by the adhesive artist Daniel Campelo, 53, as he recalls, more than two years later, the day he lost sight in one of his eyes as a victim of police violence in downtown Recife.

The man was one of those hit by rubber bullets fired by the Military Police of Pernambuco on May 29, 2021 in the midst of a repression against an act by union centers and social movements against the Bolsonaro government and in defense of vaccination against Covid.

In addition to Daniel Campelo, another man, Jonas Correia de França, 31, partially lost his sight during police repression. Both did not participate in the demonstration, but circulated in the region when they were hit that Saturday in the capital of Pernambuco.

More than two years later, the police officers responsible for the shootings were not judged in the judicial sphere or in internal administrative processes of the Secretary of Social Defense of the Government of Pernambuco.

Jonas França did not want to speak with the reporter Sheet. Daniel Campelo, in turn, recalled the date he will never forget due to the violence he suffered, the day after his birthday.

“It wasn’t a protest, it was a peaceful walk with children and women. Before being hit, I passed by, walking, like other people, in their right to come and go. People asked for vaccines and food. rubber bullet?”

Daniel was crossing the Duarte Coelho Bridge, one of the main ones in downtown Recife, when he was hit. He would go get work material. “I didn’t reach my destination because I was interrupted by the Pernambuco Military Police.”

Since then, his professional performance has been affected. He is currently out of work as an adhesive artist and does sporadic and temporary jobs to support his family.

“My professional side is damaged. My life will no longer be what it was, my eye was removed, I no longer have the sight in my left eye. I have to fight and run after something for the family supplement”, says Daniel , who lives with her sister.

He also says that he has been experiencing financial difficulties since the May 2021 episode. “People helped me a lot when this happened, but I still have to catch up. My credit cards were suspended because I couldn’t pay anymore.”

Currently, Daniel receives two minimum wages (R$ 2,640) per month from the state government. The financial transfer takes place in the midst of a legal battle, in which the adhesive artist’s defense requests compensation from the State. “The current value is not enough, because what the government took from me is irreplaceable and irreparable”, he says.

While waiting for a decision in court, Daniel is undergoing treatment at an eye care unit in Recife and is due to undergo a new surgery in the coming months. “I will have to undergo tests, I am still undergoing treatment and will probably undergo a new surgical procedure.”

The wound caused by the rubber bullet shooting caused a cavity in Daniel’s left eye region. Doctors had to remove part of the belly in the initial surgery two years ago to replace it in the vicinity of the affected eye.

In charge of Daniel’s defense, lawyer Marcellus Ugiette hopes that in the end there will be judicial recognition of the guilt of the State of Pernambuco. “We’re not asking for charity, we’re asking for recognition,” he says.

“The State just started paying [os dois salários mínimos por mês] when we ask the judge for early protection for the crime of disobedience. resorted to [à segunda instância] and lost,” he says.

Working today in the area of ​​general services, Jonas Correia made an agreement with the state government to receive compensation, for an undisclosed amount, and a lifelong pension of one minimum wage per month. He was hit after leaving his workplace and was also not participating in the peaceful demonstration.

Government says investigations are ongoing

In a note, the Secretariat of Social Defense said that the police officer Reinaldo Belmiro Lins, who was responsible for the shot that struck Jonas, remains removed from operational duties with restrictions on carrying a weapon until the decision on the disciplinary merits is decided. The process is in the due diligence phase. The folder did not respond if there is a deadline for completing the investigation. A Sheet could not contact the police.

The author of the shot at Jonas Correia de França is accused of grievous bodily harm. The case is being processed at the Court of Justice of Pernambuco in the phase of instruction and trial hearings.

The case of the shooting involving Daniel Campelo da Silva is still under internal investigation and without a deadline for definition, according to the secretariat, “until all the steps are fully carried out and the necessary clarifications obtained”.

The name of the Shock Battalion agent who shot the adhesive was not released. He was indicted by the Civil Police for serious bodily injury and omission of help. Eight other Radio Patrol police officers were also indicted for failing to provide assistance.

Another repercussion moment on the same day involved councilor Liana Cirne (PT), who was attacked with pepper spray while trying to negotiate with police officers who were in a vehicle.

At the time, she was treated at an emergency room and was discharged on the same day.

A police officer was internally punished with 21 days of detention in May 2022, but the parliamentarian said that the agent was not the one who fired the jet into his face. The Civil Police also concluded investigations in this case.

The events generated a crisis for the Government of Pernambuco at the time. The then commander of the Military Police, Vanildo Maranhão, also left the function. The then Secretary of Social Defense, Antônio de Pádua, currently superintendent of the Federal Police in the state, handed over the position. The governor was Paulo Câmara (PSB).