Oziel Branques dos Santos
Age 4016 Jun 2024
Curitiba, Paraná (Brazil)
Stabbed
Oziel was not trans himself, but died after being attacked on a bus while defending a trans man and his girlfriend from a homophobic attack.
The attackers - an uncle and his nephew - were arrested shortly after the murder. Both have criminal records, and the uncle was wearing an electronic tag.
The 40-year-old man was murdered on Sunday (16) inside a bi-articulated bus in Curitiba while defending a couple from homophobic attacks, according to the Military Police (PM-PR).
"Solidarity and condolences to the family of the hero Oziel Branques dos Santos [...] man who, in a gesture of extreme bravery, stood up against injustice and intolerance. His empathy will not be forgotten and should serve as a powerful reminder of the need to combat hatred and violence. We regret that such a noble attitude met such a tragic end", said the group, in a statement. The crime took place inside the bus that runs on the Santa Cândida/Capão Raso line.
The suspects, a 41-year-old man and a 17-year-old teenager, were identified as uncle and nephew. They fled after the crime, but were located by the police shortly afterwards. The man was arrested and the teenager was apprehended.
The Civil Police (PC-PR) reported that, this Tuesday (18), the man remains in prison. In the teenager's case, police said a provisional hospitalization was issued. The two must still undergo a custody hearing.
The young woman who was with her boyfriend when they were victims of homophobia on a bus in Curitiba lamented the death of Oziel Branques dos Santos. She witnessed the crime.
"Unfortunately, he lost his life trying to save us. I'm in a state of shock. My mind can't stop to reflect. I wanted to sleep today and wake up knowing that it was all a dream. It made me feel really bad knowing that someone lost their life trying to save us. save me and my boyfriend", she said.
The young woman did not know the victim. According to her, in the confusion, Oziel was held by one of the suspects so the other could then stab him.
"The older one held him by the arms and the younger one kept stabbing him. The only reaction I had at the moment was to run, ask for help. I looked back and saw the guy being stabbed", she recalls.
The young woman said that before the murder, the attackers were verbally attacking the couple, with harassment and death threats.
"They started to insult us, the uncle started to make threats while the youngest one was laughing. The youngest one sat at the window and put his hand in his backpack, threatening to get us a knife. He said that anything we did, they would They were going to kill us. The verbal attacks were quite intense."
She also claims that the two tried to undress her boyfriend "to see if he was a real man."
According to police, the 40-year-old suspect has three previous convictions for robbery and was wearing an electronic ankle tag. The teenager, according to the corporation, also has a criminal record.
