Body of Brazil student killed in Nicaragua to be repatriated Friday
The dead body of medical student Raynéia Gabrielle Lima, born in Pernambuco state, in northeast Brazil, killed in Nicaragua on July 23, is expected to arrive in the capital Recife in the early hours of Friday (Jul. 3). The announcement was made in this afternoon (31) by Pedro Eurico, Pernambuco’s secretary for Justice and Human Rights.
The funeral will be held in a city just outside the capital at 10 am on the same day.
The body is to be taken from Nicaraguan capital Managua at 2:30 pm, making a stop in Panama, where a flight is scheduled to bring it to Brazil taking off at 6:15 pm. The landing in Recife is slated for 00:35 am on Friday (Brasília time throughout), Eurico reported.
Transport costs, covered by Pernambuco’s state government, were reported to total some $4.3 thousand.
Secretary Eurico said Brazil’s federal government did not seem willing to offer financial help. “[Costs] should be the responsibility of the federal government, but had to be covered by the state of Pernambuco,” he argued, adding that a state agency offering psychological and legal assistance to violence victims will help take Lima’s mother Maria José da Costa to Recife to receive her daughter’s body.
Clarifications
In a note, the Brazilian Foreign Ministry says it worked hard to take all the necessary measures to have Lima’s body released as quickly as possible. The Brazilian Embassy in Managua was also reported to have kept in touch with the local authorities involved in the case and to have promptly issued the relevant documents, in addition to having offered assistance to family members of the deceased.
“In the case of Brazilian nationals who die overseas, however, the law does not stipulate that the government should afford the repatriation of mortal remains. In this connection, the efforts of the state government of Pernambuco proved crucial to bringing [Lima’s] over to Brazil,” the note reads.
Raynéia Gabrielle Lima was killed on Monday night (23) with a shot to her chest. According to American University (UAM) President Ernesto Medina, the shot was fired by a member of a paramilitary group in the south of Managua.
Nicaragua has faced a severe social and political crisis, with demonstrations gaining further momentum since April. Protesters demand the ouster of President Daniel Ortega, who has been in power for 11 years amid accusations of misconduct and corruption.
