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LONDON, Aug. 20 (Xinhuanet) -- The parents of the Brazilian man killed
mistakenly by British anti-terror police in south London have reportedly turned
down a compensation offer of 1 million pounds (1.8 million US dollars).
Matozinho and Maria de Menezes, parents of 27-year-old Jean Charles de
Menezes, have reportedly rejected the offer as an insult, Sky news reported on
Saturday.
"We will not be bought off. We will not be silenced. This is not about
money, this is about justice," they told the Daily Mail newspaper.
The paper claimed that John Yates, deputy assistant commissioner of the
Metropolitan Police, flew to Brazil two weeks ago to make the initial offer of
payment.
But Yasmin Khan, of the Justice4Jean campaign, said: "Money was being
bandied about, but was not accepted. The family felt it was insulting and was
not prepared to be bought off."
Scotland Yard refused to comment on any offer of compensation.
Police chief Ian Blair is under pressure to resign over the death of
Menezes.
Alessandro Pereira, cousin of Menezes, accused the Scotland Yard chief of
telling "lies" and demanded he resign for the suffering of Menezes' family since
his death.
The Brazilian was shot seven times in the head and one in the shoulder by
plain-clothes police who suspected Menezes of linkage with the abortive London
bombings on July 21.
Both the police and the British government have announced their apology for
the Brazilian's death and offered to compensate for it.
The shoot-to-kill policy aimed at suicide bombers following London's serial bombings has come under fierce attack since Menezes' death. Enditem |