Sergio Silva do Amaral Ambassador
Embassy of Brazil
3006 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
April 18, 2019
Dear Ambassador Silva do Amaral,
We, the undersigned members of U.S. civil society, who follow issues of human rights in the Americas write to express our shock and outrage concerning the April 7 murder of Afro
descendant singer Evaldo Rosa dos Santos. According to the Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the musician was traveling by car to a baby shower when the military of the Brazil army shot his vehicle 80 times killing him. Mr. Rosa dos Santos’ wife, father in law, 7 year-old-son, and 13 year-old goddaughter (13 years old) were accompanying him in the car. The incident took place in Guadalupe neighborhood in Rio de Janeiro.
We strongly urge your government to carry out an independent investigation under ordinary jurisdiction that determines the motive and circumstances that led to this military action and deaths. We also expect your government to bring the perpetrators of this crime to justice. Further, we echo CEJIL’s insistence that in this investigation there be analysis done as to whether or not “this occurred because of the practices of institutional racism and selectivity that permeate police repression and public safety by state agents.”
We plan to continue to monitor this case until justice takes place for the Rosa dos Santos family.
Sincerely,
Damani Aaquil, RCAA-Regional Council of Africans in the Americas
Willie L. Baker, Jr., Executive Vice President Emeritus, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
Eduardo Barada, Afro-Cuban activist, Washington, DC Shirley E. Barnes, U.S. Ambassador Retired
Lee Camp, Comedian
James Counts Early, Institute for Policy Studies Board Member
Kwame Dixon, Associate Professor of Political Science, Howard University Eunice Mina Escobar, Afro-Colombian activist, Chicago-Illinois
Brian Finnegan, Global Worker Rights Coordinator, International Department, AFL-CIO Bill Fletcher, Jr., former president of Trans Africa Forum
Eleanor Goldfield, activist, Art Killing Apathy
James N. Green, National Coordinator, U.S. Network for Democracy in Brazil Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director, Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
Adam Isaacson, Director for Defense Oversight, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Eliseo Jacob, Ph.D., Howard University
Joseph F. Jordan, Joseph F. Jordan, activist and cultural worker, Durham, NC
Daniel Kovalik, Adjunct Professor, International Human Rights, Pittsburgh School of Law Viviana Krsticevic, Executive Director, The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) Bill Lucy, Founder Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
Alex Main, Director of International Policy, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Yvette Modestin, RCAA-Regional Council of Africans in the Americas
Chloe Noel, Faith Economy Program Manager, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Ofunshi Obà Koso, President, Yoruba Cuba Association
Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution*
Euclides Rengifo, CEO, The Cultural Union of Afro-descendant Heritage (UNIAFRO) Roland Roebuck, Afro-Latino activist, Washington, DC
Gimena Sanchez, Director for the Andes, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Jessica Srikantia, Associate Professor, George Mason University*
Nicola Worcman, Psychiatrist, Hubert Humphrey Fellow (Fulbright Scholarship 2018-2019), USA
Coletta Youngers, Senior Fellow, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Crystal Yuille, Afro-Diaspora Activist
Sergio Silva do Amaral Embaixador
Embaixada do Brasil
3006 Massachusetts Ave NW, Washington, DC 20008
18 de April, 2019
Caro Embaixador Silva do Amaral,
Nós, membros signatários da sociedade civil americana, que acompanhamos as questões
humanitárias nas Américas, vos escrevemos para expressar nossa choque e preocupação extrema com o assassinato do cantor afrodescendente Evaldo Rosa dos Santos, ocorrido em 7 de Abril, último. De acordo com o Centro de Justiça e Direito Internacional (CEJIL), o músico estava conduzindo seu veículo, junto com sua família, à caminho de um chá de bebê quando o exército brasileiro atirou em seu carro mais de 80 vezes, tirando sua vida. A esposa do senhor Rosa dos Santos, seu sogro, seu filho de 7 anos e sua enteada de 13 anos o acompanhavam no veículo. O incidente aconteceu em Guadalupe, bairro da Baixada Fluminense, no Rio de Janeiro.
Nós recomendamos fortemente que seu governo conduza uma investigação de caráter
independente, ainda que sob jurisdição comum para determinar os motivos e as circunstâncias que levaram à esta ação militar e sucessiva morte. Ainda, nós esperamos que seu governo conduza à julgamento os autores do crime. Além disto, nós apoiamos a insistência de CEJIL de que esta investigação contenha uma análise se este crime ocorreu “por causa de práticas
Planejamos continuar monitorando este caso até que a justiça seja feita para a família Rosa dos Santos.
Cordialmente,
Damani Aaquil, RCAA-Regional Council of Africans in the Americas
Willie L. Baker, Jr., Executive Vice President Emeritus, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
Eduardo Barada, Afro-Cuban activist, Washington, DC Shirley E. Barnes, U.S. Ambassador Retired
Lee Camp, Comedian
Darryl Chappell, Member of the Board, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Marino Cordoba, Association for Internally Displaced Afro-Colombians USA (AFRODES) James Counts Early, Institute for Policy Studies Board Member
Kwame Dixon, Associate Professor of Political Science, Howard University Eunice Mina Escobar, Afro-Colombian activist, Chicago-Illinois
Brian Finnegan, Global Worker Rights Coordinator, International Department, AFL-CIO Bill Fletcher, Jr., former president of Trans Africa Forum
Eleanor Goldfield, activist, Art Killing Apathy
James N. Green, National Coordinator, U.S. Network for Democracy in Brazil Susan Gunn, Director, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns
Lisa Haugaard, Executive Director, Latin America Working Group (LAWG)
Adam Isaacson, Director for Defense Oversight, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Eliseo Jacob, Ph.D., Howard University
Daniel Kovalik, Adjunct Professor, International Human Rights, Pittsburgh School of Law Viviana Krsticevic, Executive Director, The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL) Bill Lucy, Founder, Coalition of Black Trade Unionists (CBTU)
Alex Main, Director of International Policy, Center for Economic and Policy Research (CEPR) Yvette Modestin, RCAA-Regional Council of Africans in the Americas
Chloe Noel, Faith Economy Program Manager, Maryknoll Office for Global Concerns Ofunshi Obà Koso, President, Yoruba Cuba Association
Ted Piccone, Senior Fellow, The Brookings Institution*
Carlos Quesada, Executive Director, Institute for Race and Equality Fred Redmond, International Vice-President, United Steelworkers, USW
Euclides Rengifo, CEO, The Cultural Union of Afro-descendant Heritage (UNIAFRO) Roland Roebuck, Afro-Latino activist, Washington, DC
Gimena Sanchez, Director for the Andes, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Jessica Srikantia, Associate Professor, George Mason University*
Nicola Worcman, Psychiatrist, Hubert Humphrey Fellow (Fulbright Scholarship 2018-2019), USA
Coletta Youngers, Senior Fellow, Washington Office on Latin America (WOLA) Crystal Yuille, Afro-Diaspora Activist
*For identification purposes only
