A Brazilian cameraman who was critically injured during a violent protest last week in Rio de Janeiro died on Monday.
Santiago Andrade, 49, was hit in the head by a powerful flare fired during the protest over a 10-cent bus fare hike. He had been in a coma on life support when doctors on Monday declared him brain-dead.
“My husband is gone. They have destroyed a solid family,” Andrade’s wife told the Globo television channel.
The flare was shot by protesters, video footage appears to show. Tattoo artist Fabio Raposo, 22, turned himself in to authorities, saying he provided the flare he found on the ground to the man who set it off. Police told the newspaper that Raposo would face a charge of attempted homicide. The man who threw the flare has also been arrested.
“It was an act of negligence and irresponsibility,” Raposo’s lawyer, Jonas Nunes Tadeu, told CBN radio.
With the World Cup coming to Brazil in 12 cities in just a few short months, riots and protests over the poor local transportation have intensified.
“It is unacceptable that democratic protests are taken over by those who have no respect for human lives,” Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff tweeted.
The protest had started peacefully on Thursday, according to the World Bulletin, but as more demonstrators arrived, the police began to use tear gas and the violence escalated.
Approximately 30 cameramen and photographers came together Monday night to the spot where Andrade was hit by the flare. The tribute came in the midst of yet another protest against the fare hikes, with approximately 1,000 demonstrators squaring off with riot police.
At least 117 journalists have been injured since last year’s Confederations Cup, the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism told AFP. Seventy-five of the injuries can be attributed to the actions of the riot police, the organization said.
Last week the Committee to Protect Journalists called for an investigation into Andrade’s injuries.
“In the months leading up to the World Cup, Brazilian authorities must learn from last year’s mistakes — when dozens of journalists were injured or arrested while covering protests — and ensure that journalists can safely cover demonstrations,” said Carlos Lauria, CPJ’s senior program coordinator for the Americas.
With News Wire Services
