‘Travesty' no officers prosecuted for Jean Charles de Menezes' death

Glasgow Times

6 days ago

Dozens of people joined his relatives for a vigil outside Stockwell Tube station in south London, where the Brazilian was shot and killed by police the day after failed bombing attempts on the London transport network.
It came two weeks after the 7/7 terror attacks, which killed 52 people in central London in 2005.
A Justice4Jean T-shirt worn by the family of Jean Charles de Menezes at a vigil outside Stockwell station in London (Lucy North/PA)
Mr de Menezes' family were joined at a memorial outside the station to pay tribute and lay flowers, to mark the 20th anniversary of his death.
A minute's silence was held to mark the moment the 27-year-old was killed, a prayer was also read in both Portuguese and English, and traditional South American music was played in his honour.
Family members and supporters of the campaign wore black T-shirts which read: '20 years: Justice denied. Justice4Jean.'
Relatives say the anniversary marks a renewed call for truth and accountability for those responsible for his death.
Mr de Menezes was shot seven times in the head the day after police mistakenly identified him as one of the suspects for the failed bombings.
Would-be suicide bombers had targeted the transport network on July 21, but their devices failed to explode.
Police found an address in Scotia Road, Tulse Hill, written on a gym membership in one of the unexploded bags used by the bombers.
Mr de Menezes, who lived in one of the flats at Scotia Road, was wrongly identified by police as Hussain Osman, one of the terrorists.
Patricia da Silva Armani, the cousin of Jean Charles de Menezes, speaks during a vigil outside Stockwell station (Lucy North/PA)
He was shot dead at Stockwell Tube station on July 22 2005.
His family said it is 'a travesty' that no police officer has been held accountable for his death.
Patricia da Silva Armani, Mr de Menezes' cousin, said: 'He was a completely innocent man. And yet, he was shot in cold blood.
'To make things worse, lies were spread to justify the unjustifiable.
'For our family, the grief of that loss and the injustice surrounding it are still with us, every single day.
'Nothing can erase the pain of knowing that the life of a hard-working, kind, and honest young man was taken from us out of prejudice and incompetence.
'To this day, no police officer has been held accountable for Jean's death. That is a travesty.
'It is unacceptable that agents of the state can act with impunity. Without accountability, there is no justice.
(from second left) Erionaldo da Silva, Alex Pereira, Alessandro Pereira and Vivian Figueiredo, relatives of Jean Charles de Menezes, hold a vigil outside Stockwell station (Lucy North/PA)
'Jean's memory demands more than words – it demands truth, accountability, and real change. We will not forget. We will not be silent.'
No officers were ever prosecuted for the killing of Mr De Menezes but the Metropolitan Police were fined for breaching health and safety laws.
Dame Cressida Dick, who became Metropolitan Police commissioner in 2017, led the operation in which Mr de Menezes died.
Yasmin Khan, the campaign's lawyer, said: 'Twenty years ago today, Jean Charles de Menezes stepped on to a train here at Stockwell station and never came home.
'We remember him today, because the system that killed him never faced justice, and not a single police officer was ever held accountable.'
Ms Khan added: 'What I've learned from these people we see standing in front of you is to remember Jean Charles is a lesson in refusing to be silent.
'It's an honour, not just to his life, but to the bravery of those who fought for him to remind us that the fight for justice is long.
'Justice may have been denied, but their fight was worth every breath.'
Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said: 'The events of July 22 2005 remain a matter of deep regret to the Met and have had a major and lasting impact on counter-terrorism policing in this country.
'Twenty years after the death of Jean Charles de Menezes, the thoughts of all of us at the Metropolitan Police are today with his family and friends.'