Police officers to be probed for attacking trans woman
Verônica was arrested on Friday (Apr 10) while assaulting an elderly woman from next door.
The Internal Affairs Unit of the Civil Police of São Paulo state is investigating into the alleged acts of aggression by military and civil police officers at the 2nd Police District against trans woman Verônica Bolina, the Secretariat for Public Security announced.
Verônica was arrested on Friday (Apr 10) while assaulting an elderly woman from next door. She will be charged with aggravated injury, physical assault, and contempt of authority. The inmate is reported as having “exposed her genitals and started masturbating” in her cell, offending her prison mates, on Sunday (12).
She told the Center for LGBT Citizenship she had been attacked multiple times by some of the military police wearing black. According to the institution, she reported the actions of agents from the Group of Strategic Operations (GOE) while she was taken to prison; during a cell transfer, after she attacked a prison warder of the Civil Police; and while she received medical assistance, at the Mandaqui Hospital.
In order to bring the situation under control, a prison warder walked into her cell to take her out, when Verônica lunged at him and bit him. According to the Specialized Center for the Combat Against Discrimination, linked to the Public Defenders' Office, there were signs of torture, ill-treatment and embarrassment, which were inflicted by the officers during her arrest and while she was being restrained. Verônica had her face disfigured.
The Public Defenders' Office claims that, even if she did have to be restrained, her behavior does not justify the wounds in her face. Furthermore, the privacy in her interview with Verônica and her lawyers was not respected, as the police commissioner and a prison warder remained in the room, repeatedly urging her to tell the truth.
Activists from LGBT movements have launched an online campaign in support of Verônica on Facebook, using the hashtag #SomosTodasVerônica, Portuguese for “We're all Verônica.”
Translated by Fabrício Ferreira
Fonte: Police officers to be probed for attacking trans woman
