The Commission on Human Rights and Minorities of the Chamber of Deputies is considering asking Rio de Janeiro to take steps to follow up on the case of the murder of Moïse Kabagambe.
The young Congolese was murdered on January 24, after being attacked by at least three men at the kiosk where he worked in Barra da Tijuca, west of Rio, after asking for payment of late fees for services rendered, according to the family of the victim.
The chairman of the commission, deputy Carlos Veras (PT-CE), reinforced the need to clarify whether the crime was motivated by racism or xenophobia. Veras and the 1st vice-president, Orlando Silva (PCdoB – SP) urgently demanded the investigation of Moïse’s death from Governor Cláudio Castro (PL).
“Moïses’ death opens up the structural racism still present in Brazilian society. It is regrettable to see that someone who fled violence in a country at war seeking a better life in Brazil was so cowardly attacked and killed”, lamented the president of the commission.
The parliamentarians also asked the authorities to adopt rigorous measures in the investigation of the facts, such as the identification of the authors and their responsibility.
Both the state government, the Public Ministry and the Civil Police have already been notified to send information.
The Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro (MPRJ) reported that it is swiftly adopting all appropriate measures in the case and that it has already obtained from the Justice the temporary arrest of the three men caught by security cameras beating the young Congolese.
At least 12 people have already testified to the Civil Police. The most recent testimony was from the military police officer named by the aggressors as the owner of the kiosk where the victim worked and his sister, the manager of the establishment. The police’s defense denied the fact.
The UN Human Rights office said it found the murder of Moïse Kabagambe “shocking”.
In positioning sent to CNN, the representative of the UN Human Rights Office for South America, Jan Jarab, said that Brazil must “ensure that this crime does not go unpunished”. “Data on homicide victims in Brazil indicate that Afro-descendants are disproportionately affected by this violence,” said the UN regional director.
THE CNN had access to all the images of the kiosk’s internal circuit and decided to show the excerpts that show the ambush of Moïse. Aggressions will not be displayed.
*With information from Cleber Rodrigues and Leonardo Lopes, from CNN
Source: CNN Brasil
