Photojournalist is attacked and threatened in Brazil

The photojournalist Victor Soares was attacked in the Brazilian Federal Capital, Brasília, on March 30th , while photographing the Federal Police`s operation “Sol Dourado” (Golden Sun). The operation investigates possible frauds in Manaus (main city of the Amazon region). The professional was working as a freelancer for the CBN Manaus radio station when was attacked by one of the suspects, the lawyer Afonso Luciano Gomes Amâncio, and his son. Soares affirms that, during the attack, father and son destroyed his camera and threatened to throw him out the window.

The Federal Police prevented the assault from continuing, but was unable to arrest both agressors. The photographer was escorted to the 1st  Police Department of the Federal District, where he made a complaint of the incident. The local chief of police, Watson  Warmling , said the police have sent the victim`s photographic equipment to analysis  and the case to the 3rd  Police Department of the Federal District. However, the chief of the 3rd PD, Onofre José de Morais, claims to have not received the case because of the a strike held by the police of the Federal District since March 31st. Warmling said that regardless the strike the case "will be properly investigated".

Soares says that the threats continued even after the complaint was registered in the police, and that they were also addressed to other journalists. "Today I am a statistic of violence, tomorrow I can be a death statistic" fears the professional.