In a significant ruling, the 7th Federal Court in the Brazilian state of Sergipe has sentenced three former police officers for the 2022 asphyxiation death of Genivaldo de Jesus Santos, a Black man suffering from schizophrenia. This comes after Santos tragically died when confined in a tear gas-filled trunk of a car. The Public Ministry of Sergipe announced that the officers, who were part of the Federal Highway Police, received sentences ranging from 23 to 28 years.
Paulo Rodolpho Nascimento received a 28-year sentence for aggravated homicide by asphyxiation, while his colleagues, William Barros Noia and Kleber Nascimento Freitas, were each sentenced to over 23 years for torture resulting in death without intent. The jury’s decision came after reviewing testimony from 28 witnesses over 12 days. As reported by Globo, defense lawyers plan to challenge the verdicts.
This case stems from an incident on May 25, 2022, when Santos was stopped in Umbaúba, Sergipe, for not wearing a motorcycle helmet. Federal Police findings indicated he was kept in the trunk of a police vehicle, exposed to tear gas and pepper spray for over 11 minutes, leading to suffocation and respiratory damage. The Medical Legal Institute’s report found no evidence supporting officers’ claims of him having a psychotic episode, as Santos was undergoing treatment for schizophrenia.
The event ignited protests across Brazil, with widespread outcry following the circulation of videos depicting the incident. Demonstrators in Umbaúba demanded justice, echoing sentiments from international human rights groups, who drew parallels between Santos’s death and that of George Floyd in the United States as noted by The Guardian.
In September 2023, the court ordered compensation for Santos’ family, mandating the government to pay substantial sums to his son and mother for moral damages. This verdict comes amid broader concerns regarding police violence in Brazil, where, according to the Brazilian Forum on Public Security, police interventions led to over 6,400 deaths in 2022. Critically, human rights groups emphasize the disproportionate impact of such violence on young Black men in underserved areas, as highlighted by a report from Amnesty International.