Photographer Lúcio Távora was harassed and threatened by military police officers while he was photographing a demonstration by students.
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 5 December 2009, photographer Lúcio Távora, of the “A Tarde” newspaper, was harassed and threatened by military police officers while he was photographing a demonstration by students in Salvador, the capital of the State of Bahía, in northeastern Brazil.
The police officers asked Távora not to take pictures, but the reporter replied that he was working and continued to accompany the demonstration. The officers then pushed and threatened him, while snatching his equipment.
Journalists’ organisations such as the National Newspapers Association (ANJ), the Bahía Journalists’ Union (Sinjorba) and the Bahía Press Association (ABI) condemned the police’s behaviour and demanded that the local government immediately initiate an investigation into the case in order to sanction those responsible for the actions against Távora.
