Sat Dec 07 22:54:15 UTC 2024: ## Brazilian Police Officers Sentenced for Torture Death of Black Man
**Aracaju, Sergipe** – Three former Brazilian Federal Highway Police officers received lengthy prison sentences on Saturday for the torture and death of Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, a 38-year-old Black man. Judge Rafael Soares of the 7th Federal Court in Sergipe handed down sentences ranging from 23 to 28 years.
Paulo Rodolpho Nascimento received the harshest sentence, 28 years, for aggravated homicide. His colleagues, William Noia and Kleber Freitas, each received 23 years for torture resulting in death. The convictions stem from an incident in May 2022, where Santos was arrested for riding his motorcycle without a helmet.
Bystander video footage, which went viral, shows officers subduing Santos, despite his apparent lack of resistance. Santos, who reportedly suffered from schizophrenia, was placed in the boot of a police SUV, where tear gas was deployed. The video shows Santos screaming and kicking as dense white smoke filled the confined space. He died of asphyxiation.
The court heard testimony detailing the 11-minute ordeal, during which Santos was exposed to lethal amounts of tear gas. Prosecutors stated that Nascimento deployed the tear gas, while Freitas used pepper spray five times, and Noia helped keep the boot closed.
Santos’s sister, Laura de Jesus Santos, expressed some satisfaction with the verdict, stating it brought a degree of closure but not happiness. The sentencing comes amidst growing concern over police brutality in Brazil. A recent UN report highlighted a sharp rise in police killings, with over 6,000 deaths annually in recent years, disproportionately affecting Black Brazilians. The report indicates that Black people are three times more likely to be killed by Brazilian police than other Brazilians. The three officers have been dismissed from the Federal Highway Police.
First Piper 