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~ Cross-posted at Daily Kos ~
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Two Brazilian government officials plan to meet members of the IPCC, Scotland Yard Deputy Assistant Commissioner John Yates and other officials. According to the UK’s Press Association, they want clarification on new reports that emerged last week about the killing of the innocent 27-year-old Brazilian electrician, sparking accusations of a cover-up by police.
Vigil at Stockwell Tube Station for Jean Charles de Menezes
The Jean Charles de Menezes Family Campaign group are to hold a vigil and demonstration outside Downing Street Monday evening, a month since his death. His cousin Alessandro Pereira will hand in a letter to the prime minister calling for a public inquiry. The Brazilian Foreign Relations Ministry has said the new details, together with “shocking” images of the victim’s body on the train, heightened the government’s “sense of indignation.”
More to follow below the fold »»
- It was revealed over the weekend that Commissioner Blair did not know his officers had shot an innocent man — after mistaking him for one of the failed bombers of July 21 — until 24 hours after he was killed.
- Scotland Yard has also come under fire for offering de Menezes’ family in Brazil a £15,000 payment in a complex legal letter written in English, when they only speak Portuguese.
De Menezes’ parents and brother claimed to British newspapers they had been pressured into meeting Deputy Police Commissioner Yates, who was in the group that delivered the letter, without their lawyers.
The Mail on Sunday newspaper reported that they had only been informed of the meeting the night before it took place and were told it could not be delayed despite pleading for more time.
Solicitor Gareth Peirce, who represents the family and has already called for a public inquiry into the killing, condemned the way the compensation offer was made as “disturbing”.
Sunday August 21, 2005 — SCOTLAND Yard admitted it had offered a £15,000 ‘compensation’ payment to the family of Jean Charles de Menezes, the Brazilian shot dead on the London Underground.
In a statement, the Metropolitan Police said they had offered de Menezes’ family the money as an “ex gratia payment” which would not prejudice any future compensation deal.
Reports last night quoted a letter from the Metropolitan Police’s Directorate of Legal Services which offers to pay for the repatriation of the Brazilian’s body, his family’s travel expenses and funeral costs. It continues: “The MPS also offers £15,000 by way of compensation to you for the death of Jean Charles.”
That appeared to contradict a statement by the police yesterday morning which flatly denied having offered any compensation to the family. It claimed then that the force had only discussed meeting their “initial expenses”.
In an exclusive News of the World interview, Britain’s top cop describes for the first time his horror at discovering his team had killed an innocent man at Stockwell Tube station.
Sir Ian is facing calls for his resignation
“Somebody came in at 10.30 am (Saturday morning July 24) and said the equivalent of ‘Houston we have a problem’. He didn’t use those words but he said, ‘We have some difficulty here, there is a lack of connection’. I thought, that’s dreadful, what are we going to do about that?”
“It was not the right person. Awful as that is, it wasn’t as important as the major investigation.”
Ian Blair adds: “What concerns me is that this part of the story is concentrating on the death of one individual when we have 52 dead people from all faiths and communities in London and from abroad.
Leaked report: Botched operation led to innocent Brazilian’s death
See MSNBC VIDEO of the fatal 30 minutes.
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