The Amazonas Military Police will indict four officers suspected of raping an Indigenous woman in a prison in Santo Antônio do Içá, a city on the banks of the Solimões River in the interior of the state. The force is in the final stages of the investigation, conducted through a military police inquiry.
The victim reported to the court that she was the victim of sexual violence for nine months. The 29-year-old Indigenous woman was held alongside male inmates in a makeshift space from November 2022 to August 2023, when she was transferred to Manaus.
The four officers are facing administrative disciplinary proceedings that could result in their dismissal. While the investigations are ongoing, they have been transferred to administrative duties.
“The Military Police Command strongly condemns the acts reported by the victim and emphasizes that it does not condone any conduct that violates the principles of legality,” the force said in a statement. A report on the Sumaúma website, published on the 18th, detailed the accusations made by the Kokama woman. According to the victim, the sexual violence occurred systematically, including episodes of gang rape, and in the presence of her newborn son, who remained in the cell during the custody period.
The Amazonas Public Prosecutor’s Office has begun an investigation into the case. The goal is to hold those suspected of committing the crimes accountable.
A multidisciplinary team, comprised of social workers, psychologists, and legal professionals, will visit Santo Antônio do Içá to provide psychosocial support to the indigenous woman’s family. An assessment will be conducted on the need to include the family members in social and protection programs.
“We can no longer accept women being held in such degrading conditions. The Penal Execution Law guarantees dignified treatment to all people deprived of their liberty,” said the Attorney General of Amazonas, Leda Mara Albuquerque.
A delegation from the Public Prosecutor’s Office visited the women’s public prison in Manaus on Tuesday (22), where the woman is currently being held. She was convicted of participating in the murder of a 16-year-old girl, a crime that occurred in 2018, in the capital.