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New calls for prosecution as de Menezes family marks three years since shooting
Danny Brierley, Evening Standard22.07.08
The family of a Brazilian shot dead by police marksmen in London today renewed their calls for prosecutions as they marked the third anniversary of his death.
Family and friends of Jean Charles de Menezes, 27, called on the Metropolitan Police Authority to give a full account of the shooting as they gathered outside Stockwell Tube station, where the electrician was gunned down.
He was shot dead a day after four failed suicide bomb attacks on London's transport system and two weeks after the 7/7 terrorist bombings that killed 52 people.
Today's anniversary came days after a Met report called the shooting "a tragedy that should never have happened".
Supporters lit candles at a shrine at the station. They carried a banner, made from the green and yellow of the Brazilian flag, which said "Justice for Jean" andwore T-shirts with the same message. A minute's silence was held and a message of support from London Mayor Boris Johnson read out.
He expressed his condolences and said his thoughts and prayers were with the family
Alex Pereira, a cousin of Mr Menezes, said: "We now have a Mayor who supports us but it has taken a long time and we have had to fight all the way." Another cousin, Patrice de Silva Armani, who was living with Mr Menezes at the time of his death, said: "It has been three years of a lot of sadness and especially today." Asad Rahma, spokesman for the campaign group, said an inquest which is due to be held in September would be a pivotal moment for the family. He said: "Those responsible must be made accountable."
The family also renewed calls for a full explanation of the Met Commissioner's roleintheevents. Mr Rahman said they want to know"if Sir Ian deliberately misled the public the day after Jean Charles was shot and if he did not, why he did not know what had happened".
