Indian murder trial opens in Brazil

Indians protested outside the court as the trial began

The trial of four young Brazilians accused of burning to death an indigenous Indian tribal leader four years ago has opened in the capital, Brasilia.

The 45-year-old man, Galdino Jesus dos Santos, was asleep at a bus stop in the capital when he was doused with petrol and set alight.

The youths, all from prominent Brazilian families, deny intending to kill the man and say it was a prank that went wrong. If convicted, they face jail terms of 30 years.

The crime caused outrage in Brazil. Indigenous groups said the killing symbolised the years of violence to which Brazil's indigenous community had been exposed.

The murdered man's niece

Hundreds of Indians wearing body paint and traditional costumes gathered outside Brazil's Supreme Court, where the trial is being held, to demand justice.

One of the accused is the son of a federal judge.

Galdino dos Santos was a Pataxo Indian chief from north-eastern Brazil.

He had travelled to the capital to pursue his tribe's land claims.

He died of burns that covered 95% of his body.

Connections and influence

The accused, all teenagers at the time, apologised to his family during the first day of the trial.

Their lawyer has pleaded for the jury to convict them of bodily injury followed by death.

The BBC's Brazil correspondent, Tom Gibb says the judge overseeing the trial evidently agrees with them.

She ruled earlier in the case that they should be tried for the lesser charges.

But the Supreme Court overturned her decision.

Indigenous rights campaigners said the case also showed how money and influence count in Brazil's justice system.