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Tuesday, August 23, 2005

Answers & Justice: Jean Charles de Menezes and his death


The death of Jean Charles de Menezes continues to resound through the halls of power in Britain and Brazil. Sir Ian Blair, Commissioner of the Metropolitan Police in London, is in the hot seat and has many questions to answer - particularly since he admitted in an interview that he found out only 24 hours after the 27-year-old electrician was shot dead that he was unconnected to the bombings. Sir Ian told a press conference on the day of the shooting it was "directly linked" to the anti-terrorist investigation and that he understood Mr de Menezes had refused to "obey police instructions". This death highlights difficulty facing liberal democratic societies - and how flawed our human responses can be in the face of calamity. But liberal democratic societies also demand transparency and accountability and the death of Jean Charles de Menezes cannot be forgotten or swept away - we must remember him and the manner of his dying.