Overview
- The attack, which occurred on Thursday, June 11, left Mauro Figueiredo Rocha Dias da Costa, 69, with facial injuries after he says three people confronted him outside his Copacabana building for carrying a deputy’s campaign sticker.
- The victim told police he was held in a 'mata‑leão' choke, punched for about five minutes, heard political and religious insults and death threats, and had a rosary ripped from his neck before a passerby intervened.
- Police registered the report at the 12ª DP in Copacabana and transferred the inquiry to the 14ª DP in Leblon, sent the victim to the IML for a body exam and have requested the building’s CCTV to identify the three suspects.
- No arrests or public identifications of suspects have been reported so far, and investigators describe the case as developing while they carry out further diligences.
- Party leaders from the PT, including deputy Benedita da Silva and the party’s congressional bancada, have publicly condemned the incident as political hate, pledged legal help to the victim and urged a thorough investigation, raising broader concerns about activist safety in Brazil’s polarized climate.