The violent shame of Brazilian police officers

[Rachel Divine]

Graphic images have emerged of a badly beaten transgender prisoner amid reports police 'pulverized' her face, forced her to strip and shaved her head.
Pictures show Veronica Bolina lying partially naked on the ground in front of a group of officers and other prisoners in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The 25-year-old had previously been arrested over an alleged attack on her 73-year-old neighbour.
An official police statement claimed Bolina was attacked by prisoners when she was seen performing a sex act on herself in her cell and that officers were forced to intervene.
It added that the injuries were the result of a struggle in which, police claim, she bit an officer on the ear.

The photos of her badly swollen eyes and mouth have been widely shared on the internet with outraged supporters setting up campaign groups on the internet demanding the right for LGBT people to be treated fairly.
One supporter, Susane Montalvo Sarabia, said: 'It is just sickening that in this day and age such things as this still happen.
'They have pulverised that poor woman's face and are now trying to cover it up. Whether she is innocent, guilty, transgender or straight doesn't matter.
'The police should not be allowed to do this to anyone.'
Authorities in Sao Paulo say they are now investigating the matter.
A spokesman for the prosecutors office said she had been moved to a detention centre where she has an individual cell until the court case.


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