(IPYS/IFEX) – On May 4 2005, André Lima, a photographer with the daily “Diário do Nordeste” was harassed by military police in Fortaleza, Ceará State. Lima was covering a protest against the construction of a high-tension electricity line in the Zizi Gavião and Conjunto São Miguel neighbourhoods. According to the photographer, the military police were […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On May 4 2005, André Lima, a photographer with the daily “Diário do Nordeste” was harassed by military police in Fortaleza, Ceará State. Lima was covering a protest against the construction of a high-tension electricity line in the Zizi Gavião and Conjunto São Miguel neighbourhoods.
According to the photographer, the military police were being violent with the protesters. When three of the officers noticed Lima was taking pictures, they threatened him. “First one of the officers stepped on my foot. Then, two others came over and grabbed my equipment. They said that they would break my camera and demanded the film, but I explained it was a digital camera. So they held me until I showed them all the images.” The police refused to comment, saying the case was “still under investigation.”
On 9 May, the newspaper published a story on the incident, with photos. The owners of the newspaper say they will not press charges against the police, but Lima has already contacted the journalists’ union in Ceará and intends to sue for moral and material damages.
“We are stunned that military police officers, who are supposed to guarantee safety, work in such a violent way, with such a complete lack of respect for freedom of the press,” commented Deborah Lima, president of the Ceará journalists’ union.
This alert was prepared by IPYS with information provided by the Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association (Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo, ABRAJI).
