Abraji repudiates the brutality of the Rio de Janeiro Military Police and demands respect towards journalists working in impoverished communities

On January 13th, 2021, photojournalist, cameraman and editor-in-chief of the website “Voz das Comunidades”, Renato Moura, had his phone confiscated and destroyed during coverage of a Brazilian Military Police foray at Complexo do Alemão, an impoverished community on the hilltops of Rio de Janeiro. 

Moura says he was surrounded by ten police officers while another military police took the device from his pocket, and threw the device against the floor to smash it and, not satisfied, stepped on the phone, destroying it. Also, according to the Voz da Comunidades team, during the action the police accused the community website of criticizing the police to gain media notoriety, “fame”. 

The military police of Rio de Janeiro claims that the officer took the phone away as he was concerned about being recognized and suffering public backlash. The public relations release did not specify the reason why the military police destroyed the journalist's equipment.

It's a concern that Rio de Janeiro's security force still does not value the importance of in-depth journalistic coverage that's being done in the favelas, a population vulnerable and exposed to daily violence. These are communicators who are risking their own safety in order to report the police operations. Journalists from Voz das Comunidades have been listening to locals that end up getting caught in the crossfire. These accounts sometimes are invisible in the mainstream media.

Abraji expects that the Military Police Command of Rio de Janeiro, Brasil, and the governor, Claudio Castro, will explain to society on what legal basis the military police is allowed to destroy journalists' working tools - or those of anyone for that matter - but in particular flouting the freedom of speech of independent journalists exercising their rights. 

Abraji reminds officials that, as police approach, any individual has the legal right to record or photograph an incident, which is protected by Brazilian Judiciary law. Journalists and communicators are protected by the constitutional rights of freedom of speech, and access to information and knowledge (5th article in the Federal Constitution, from IX to XIV).