The Civil Police of Bahia opened an investigation to investigate allegations of torture, recorded on video, of two black employees of a store in Salvador (BA).
The two youths were reportedly tortured at different times for allegedly stealing from the establishment — R$30, in the case of one, and goods, in the case of the other. One of them would have suffered burns on his hands caused by an iron, while the other victim would have been beaten.
The most recent case would have taken place on August 23, but came to light on Friday (26), when videos recorded by the alleged torturers went viral on the internet. On the same day, the first of the two victims registered the case with the police, who analyze the images.
The two scenes, according to the victims, were filmed by businessman Alexandre Santos Carvalho, one of the owners of the Atacadão das Máscaras store, who also posted the videos on the internet. Along with him would be Diógenes Carvalho Souza, cousin of the businessman and manager of the establishment.
When questioned, the Civil Police did not provide the name of the lawyer for the two suspects. The report tried to contact Carvalho by phone and by WhastaApp, without success. Souza could not be found.
Carvalho gave a statement to the police. “He said he wanted to take justice into his own hands because he was so upset [com o suposto furto]”, said Deputy William Achan, responsible for the investigation.
In addition to him, the victims and two witnesses have already testified. Souza should report to the police station this Wednesday (31).
In one of the videos, employee William de Jesus, 24, appears half-naked, with a cloth in his mouth to muffle the screams of pain, when he is ordered to display article 171 of the Penal Code – in reference to the crime of embezzlement – recorded on his hands. , with a hot iron, by the aggressors.
“Put the 171 there, thief,” orders the voice, while the young man twists in pain in the chair he was sitting on.
Jesus states that, before the torture, he had been suffering several labor violations, such as working without a formal contract, without a fixed day, without rest after lunch and with discounts on payments because of suspicions of theft.
“They [os empregadores] accused all employees of theft. So they took it out of our weekly pay”, says the young man. “Some couldn’t take it and left. I stayed because I needed the money. It was like slave labor.”
On the day he was tortured, he says, he arrived to work normally, when he was surprised by the attackers. The employee says that the store door was closed and then he suffered beatings and had his hands burned.
“I didn’t steal anything,” he says. “They said that I would suffer as in the time of slavery. I was afraid of dying, but I managed to escape.”
The most recent alleged victim of the employers was Marcos Eduardo, 21, who went to the police on the same day as the attacks — on Tuesday (23). He would have been accused by traders of having stolen R$ 30 from the establishment’s cashier.
During the torture, the video shows Souza hitting Eduardo’s hands, who is forced to recount the attacks, narrated by Carvalho. In the recording, Carvalho says he put R$30 under the counter to test the employee’s honesty.
“Hey guys, another thief here. He worked for me here, we gave him morals, gave him confidence. Then he got his hands on the money. I baited him. I told my cousin here, that I was going to catch him […] Now, he’s reaping what he sowed,” says the man in the video.
According to the delegate, Souza and Carvalho will be investigated for the crime of torture, in addition to the arbitrary exercise of their own functions for having confiscated the cell phone and watch of one of the victims. According to Law 9.455/97, the crime of torture is non-bailable, with a prison sentence of two to eight years.
According to the lawyer Tiago Martins, who defends the victims, in addition to asking for criminal liability of employers for the crime of torture, the defense will also sue the duo in court in the labor sphere.
“In addition to the psychological damage, there is also the labor damage, because they are not getting work”, he says. “In William’s case, it’s even more complicated, as you have to wait for the burns to heal, as he works with public service.”
In a statement, the Civil Police said that the videos are under analysis, but that “the images are clear and serve as evidence of crime”.
The Public Ministry of Labor opened an investigation, this Monday (29), to investigate the torture complaint. The agency said that a prosecutor should be assigned to the case during the week.
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