Neymar's defense team hired lawyer Maíra Fernandes, known for her work defending human rights and woman. The PSG football player is accused of physical and sexual assault. After sharing nude images through social media of the woman who accused him of rape, he is also being investigated by police for an internet crime.
"I was chosen to defend football player Neymar Jr by two lawyers whom I admire a lot and who always supported the feminist cause, Davi Tangerino, and Salo de Carvalho," she wrote in a text shared this Thursday on social media. "I asked to analyze the evidence, and I was convinced, absolutely, that this is a false accusation of rape."
"In general, criminal law avoids this type of analysis, for the sake of the right of defense. But in my case, with my trajectory as a feminist in defense of women's rights, this analysis was important," added Fernandes.
The model Najila Trindade Mendes de Souza accused Neymar of rape and physical assault in a Paris hotel room. In an interview on SBT this Wednesday (5), she said that the football player forced a sexual act onto her without condom and hit her ass "violently."
A medical exam made on May 21 reported that Souza had bruises in the region of the buttocks and legs and scratches on her thighs. Neymar, who is also being investigated for sharing intimate photos of the model, denies allegations of rape.
In the statement, Fernandes also says that "a false accusation of rape does not help the feminist cause" nor does it "reduce or combat this crime." "I hope to be able, along with the other colleagues, to contribute to proving the innocence of a young man who, famous or not, did not commit the crime he is accused of."
In March 2017, the lawyer received a diploma from the Alerj (Legislative Assembly of Rio de Janeiro) for her fight to defend feminist causes.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon