Rousseff orders Federal Police to investigate death of cameraman

President Dilma Rouseff wrote on Monday (Feb. 10) on her Twitter page that the death of Band TV cameraman Santiago Ilídio Andrade is a “revolting and saddening” incident, and ordered the Federal Police to support the investigations so that the “appropriate punishment” can be handed out to the ones responsible for the crime.

Andrade was hit by a squib during a street protest last Thursday (Feb. 6), in Rio de Janeiro. He was declared brain dead on Monday (Feb. 10).

“We cannot accept that democratic protests should be led astray by people who have no respect for human lives,” the president declared. “The right to protest is a basic principle in a democracy, and can never serve as a prerogative to kill, hurt, injure, attack or threaten human lives – or trash public or private property,” she added.

Translated by Fabrício Ferreira