The current director general of the Federal Highway Police (PRF), Fernando Oliveira, apologized this Thursday (25) to the family of Genivaldo de Jesus de Jesus Santos, a man who was killed inside an improvised “gas chamber” set up by corporation agents in Umbaúba (SE) exactly one year ago.
Oliveira said that the PRF command works to prevent similar episodes from happening again, and said that the fact was “traumatic” from the perspective of the corporation and, mainly, the victim’s family.
“For that reason, I expressed my consternation, my solidarity with the family and made a formal apology to the family. And it is an event that we do not want to see repeated”, he said, during the presentation of a project for the use of cameras in the PRF uniforms.
Oliveira’s stance differs from that adopted by the Bolsonarist management that commanded the corporation at the time of Genivaldo’s death. In a note released at the time, the PRF tried to transfer responsibility for the victim’s own death to the victim.
:: Federal Highway Police collects controversial episodes during the Bolsonaro government ::
“(Genivaldo) actively resisted an approach by a PRF team. Due to his aggressiveness, immobilization techniques and instruments of lesser offensive potential were used for his containment”, said the text, without explaining how “instruments of lesser offensive power” could cause death.
Videos that circulated on the internet show that, before dying, Genivaldo was immobilized, placed in the trunk of a car and suffocated with gas fired by PRF agents. Days later, the corporation changed its discourse and mourned the death.
Three police officers involved in the approach were arrested. They answer for the crimes of torture and triple qualified homicide. Last April, the Superior Court of Justice (STJ) decided to maintain pre-trial detention.
Editing: Thalita Pires
