BY REGINALD KANYANE

The Right2Know Campaign welcomes Judge Bert Bam’s ruling on taxi driver Mido Macia’s murder case. R2K organization said they are elated that eight police officers accused of murdering Macia were found guilty on Tuesday.

R2K campaign spokesperson, Murray Hunter said: “We hope that the sentence in September will send a strong message that in a democracy, police brutality has no place.”

Macia was dragged behind a police van for about 200 meters while handcuffed. He died in police custody in February 2013.

“We believe this also shows the importance of citizen journalism and the right to film and photograph the police. The brutal attack on Mido Macia was first exposed when a bystander filmed the incident on his or her phone and sent the footage to The Daily Sun. If this footage had never come to light, would we even know Mido Macia’s name?” Hunter said.

R2K calls on ordinary people on every street corner to exercise vigilance and be ready to document police brutality and other rights violations whenever they happen.

Those wishing to know more about the right to film the police can download an advisory at www.r2k.org.za/filmthepolice

-TDN

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