British Journalists Face Pressure from Police After Revelations on Menezes Shooting

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in London this week for a three-day state visit. Last night he attended a royal banquet at Buckingham Palace and is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair for talks at Downing Street on Thursday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the shooting of Brazilian native Jean Charles de Menezes in London last summer. Menezes was shot dead by British police in a London subway station one day after an attempted bomb attack on the British subway system in July. At first, British police said they believed Menezes was a suicide bomber. They claimed he had run from police and was wearing a bulky jacket. But since then it has been revealed that he was innocent and that police lied about the circumstances of his death.

Menezes family have repeatedly demanded the resignation of the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair. They have requested a meeting with President Lula who has yet to decide whether to see them during his London visit. Lula’s visit comes as the Crown Prosecution Service considers whether to charge police over the shooting.

Earlier today the Association of Chief Police Officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland publicly defended their policy on using lethal force against suspected suicide bombers, despite the killing of Menezes.

* Deborah Turness, editor of British channel ITV News, that exposed the first internal police report in the Menezes case. Democracy Now! caught up with her at a media conference in Doha, Qatar.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is in London this week for a three-day state visit. Last night he attended a royal banquet at Buckingham Palace and is scheduled to meet British Prime Minister Tony Blair for talks at Downing Street on Thursday. The two leaders are expected to discuss the shooting of Brazilian native Jean Charles de Menezes in London last summer. Menezes was shot dead by British police in a London subway station one day after an attempted bomb attack on the British subway system in July. At first, British police said they believed Menezes was a suicide bomber. They claimed he had run from police and was wearing a bulky jacket. But since then it has been revealed that he was innocent and that police lied about the circumstances of his death.

Menezes family have repeatedly demanded the resignation of the Metropolitan Police commissioner, Sir Ian Blair. They have requested a meeting with President Lula who has yet to decide whether to see them during his London visit. Lula’s visit comes as the Crown Prosecution Service considers whether to charge police over the shooting.

Earlier today the Association of Chief Police Officers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland publicly defended their policy on using lethal force against suspected suicide bombers, despite the killing of Menezes.

* Deborah Turness, editor of British channel ITV News, that exposed the first internal police report in the Menezes case. Democracy Now! caught up with her at a media conference in Doha, Qatar.

LISTEN ONLINE
OR
READ TRANSCRIPTS
AT:
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=06/03/08/1554217