Federal government calls for investigation into death of Senegalese in SP

The Ministry of Human Rights and Citizenship asked this Tuesday (April 30, 2024) that the SSP-SP (Public Security Secretariat of the State of São Paulo) investigate the death of Senegalese Serigne Mbaye, aged 36. He died during a Military Police operation in the central region of São Paulo, on April 23.

“According to records from the MDHC National Human Rights Ombudsman’s Office, the reasons that led to Mbaye’s death are considered suspicious. Still according to the complaints, the police action took place without a judicial search and seizure warrant, which resulted in questions about the use of force by security agents, who used rubber bullets and tear gas against residents.”, wrote Minister Silvio de Almeida on a social network this Tuesday. The request was sent to SSP-SP on Saturday (27 April).

Almeida also said that he ordered the national Human Rights Ombudsman, Luzia Cantal, to follow up and monitor the case and take measures to correctly investigate the procedures adopted by the officers who, “by entering the building without judicial authorization, they disrespected the Federal Constitution and acted violently against residents”.

The case

Serigne Mbaye, known as Talla, died after falling from the 6th floor of a building, during an action by police officers who, on April 23, entered the building without judicial authorization. According to reports from Senegalese who witnessed the incident, the police entered the building on Guaianazes Street and opened several apartment doors until they reached Mbaye’s house. When the victim realized that the police were forcing him and that they were going to open the door, he ran to the window.

“The other boy waited a little, the police came in, mobilized him, and went after Talla. And then this is the moment when we don’t know exactly what happened, but all the Senegalese who were there [no ato] They are telling me that they had no doubt that Talla would never jump and would never put himself at risk to the point of falling, because he has 2 children and because this is a more or less common situation [na região]”, he declared to Brazil Agency anthropologist Amanda Amparo.

The act that Amanda refers to is a demonstration held on April 25, in which participants called for the investigation and punishment of the military police officers involved in the immigrant’s death. According to protesters, the persecution of Senegalese immigrants in the central region is recurrent. They refute the version that the Senegalese was involved in some crime.

“They are already being persecuted a lot, long before this happened, they were already being persecuted a lot by the police. For many weeks now, the police have been invading the building, going up in a very random manner, looking for the apartments, opening the doors, breaking into some apartments”, stated the anthropologist who was at the event and received reports from family members and people close to the victim.

“It is important that the problem is raised, especially because their fear is that other Senegalese people will be killed”, warned the anthropologist.

What the SSP says

In a note, the SSP informed that “military police patrolled the area [rua Guaianases] and found that, in a building in the region, stolen cell phones were being sold. During investigations, the police saw a man with several cell phones on the 6th floor and ordered the suspect to stop, who disobeyed but was arrested.”.

44 cell phones and another 8 electronic devices were seized from the man, however, the SSP did not answer whether the equipment was the result of robbery or theft. The boy was released by the deputy. According to the SSP, “a second man tried to escape by jumping through the building’s marquee”, but died after falling. The case was registered as reception, disobedience and accidental death in the 2nd DP (Bom Retiro).

With information from Brazil Agency