The President of the Republic said he hopes that the burial of the man shot on Monday by the police will take place in an “atmosphere of serenity”, highlighting that he has no doubt that the institutions will work to investigate the case.
Speaking to journalists on Saturday night, next to the Teatro da Trindade, in Lisbon, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa welcomed the demonstrations held on Saturday – one called by the Vida Justa movement to demand justice for the death of Odair Moniz, the other marked by Chega ” in defense of the police” — passed “serenely” and without “any problems”.
Therefore, he added, Odair Moniz’s funeral should also take place in an “atmosphere of serenity”.
Asked if he will be present at the funeral, this afternoon, in Buraca, Amadora, the head of state said he did not want to “intrude on what is an important moment in the life of that family”.
Regarding the ongoing judicial investigation of the case, the President of the Republic repeated that he “obeys the rules, the principles”.
“I have no doubt that the institutions will function as they should”, he highlighted.
The funeral of Odair Moniz, shot by the police on Monday, in Amadora, takes place this afternoon in Buraca, after almost a week of disrespect in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and two demonstrations in the capital.
Odair Moniz, a 43-year-old Cape Verdean citizen and resident of Bairro do Zambujal, was shot in the early hours of Monday, in Bairro Cova da Moura, also in Amadora, in the district of Lisbon.
According to the PSP, the man “ran away” by car after seeing a police vehicle and lost his way in Cova da Moura, where, when approached by the agents, “he resisted arrest and tried to attack them using the bladed weapon.”
The SOS Racismo association and the Vida Justa movement contested the police version and demanded a “serious and impartial” investigation to determine responsibilities, considering that “a culture of impunity” in the police is at stake.
The General Inspectorate of Internal Administration and the PSP opened investigations and the agent who shot the man was named a defendant.
Since that day, the PSP has recorded more than 100 incidents of disturbances on public roads in the Lisbon Metropolitan Area and arrested more than 20 people, with seven injuries, one of which was seriously injured.
The two demonstrations held on Saturday, called by the Vida Justa movement and Chega, took place “peacefully, in serenity and with civility”, according to the PSP.
Source: rr.sapo.pt
