A military court in Rio Grande do Sul state has convicted four military police officers of torturing soccer fan Rai Duarte, who was beaten in a bathroom at Passo D'Areia Stadium after a match in May 2022, according to Brazilian outlet G1. The sentences range from three to eight years in prison.
The incident took place on May 1, 2022, following a match between Brasil de Pelotas and São José in Brazil's third-tier national championship, held in Porto Alegre, capital of Rio Grande do Sul. According to G1, officers from the state's 11th Military Police Battalion entered the stadium to break up a fight among fans after the game. Duarte, who prosecutors say had not taken part in the altercation, was pulled off a bus carrying Brasil de Pelotas supporters and handcuffed by three officers for reasons that were never clarified. He was taken, along with other fans, to a stadium bathroom, where he was beaten.
Those convicted are officers Leandro Duarte Lemes, João Carlos Krauze and Kelli Lisiane Abreu Marques, along with Lieutenant Dilnei Leon, who commanded the police team that day. Thirteen other officers who faced trial in the case were acquitted by the military court. Duarte's lawyer told G1 he intends to appeal those acquittals.
Duarte fell into a coma after the beating, spent 116 days hospitalized and underwent 14 surgeries. According to prosecutors, cited by G1, he suffered severe injuries including internal abdominal hemorrhaging, a ruptured artery and hemorrhagic shock. In an interview with Brazilian broadcaster RBS TV in July 2022, while still hospitalized, Duarte described the attack:
"They beat me, threw me on the ground and then took me to the hospital," said Duarte, who stated he was "cowardly beaten by 5 or 6 police officers."
Defense denies wrongdoing, plans appeal
Attorney Fábio César Silveira, who represents Leon and Krauze, told G1 that "the ruling contradicts the evidence in the case file" and said he plans to appeal. Attorney Ana Carolina Stein, who represents Lemes, made a similar statement, saying "the decision does not reflect the body of evidence in the case." The military court did not order the four convicted officers jailed; they will appeal while remaining free.
According to prosecutors, cited by G1, a total of 12 fans were beaten for more than 40 minutes that night while handcuffed and offering no resistance. Prosecutors also alleged the officers said they were used to beating Brasil de Pelotas fans whenever the team visited Porto Alegre, and that the attackers threatened to plant drugs on the fans to incriminate them, as well as threatening retaliation if the beatings were reported. Brasil de Pelotas is a soccer club based in the southern city of Pelotas, roughly 250 kilometers from Porto Alegre.