Family of Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Terán Files Civil Rights Lawsuit Against Georgia Police and Investigators

The family of environmental activist Manuel ‘Tortuguita’ Esteban Paez Terán has filed a civil rights lawsuit against two Georgia State Patrol troopers and a special agent with the Georgia Bureau of Investigation.

Terán was killed in January 2023 by Georgia State troopers during a raid on the forest encampment they were staying in while protesting the building of a police training facility, known as “Cop City.”

During the raid, a state trooper was shot and wounded. However, officers can be heard on bodycam footage speculating the trooper was wounded as a result of friendly fire. Tortuguita was shot 57 times by troopers and there was no visible gunshot residue on their hands, making it extremely unlikely that they had or shot a weapon during that time. An independent autopsy suggests their hands were up at the time they were killed.

The lawsuit claims the involved parties targeted activists for their political beliefs and used excessive force on the day Terán was killed.

In specific, the lawsuit brought by Tortuguita’s parents, Joel Paez and Belkis Terán, claims violations of the First and Fourth Amendments, such as excessive force, unlawful arrest, and retaliation against those taking part in political speech.

“This was a public forest, not the site of the construction,” stated Jeff Filipovits, the family’s attorney. “They went in there and they cleared it out. No warning — you’re under arrest. So that, to us, is unacceptable.”