Democratic institutions in Brazil are “solid”. However, they face a “challenge” in the face of the Jair Bolsonaro government’s attacks on the judiciary. The warning was issued this Thursday by the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR).
The regional body evaluates all countries in the hemisphere in its annual report. In the case of Brazil, the document points to an increase in police violence, a worsening in the situation of women, activists, blacks and indigenous people, as well as serious human rights problems in the country and the abolition of anti-torture programs.
The asset also points to a decline in areas such as children’s rights and the government’s “denial” of the historical events of the 1964 military coup.
In terms of democratic institutionalism, IACHR highlights the robustness of democratic institutionalism in Brazil, but notes the struggle between different branches of government, particularly the challenges to the independence of the judiciary as reflected in the current government’s attacks on the government. Supreme Court..”
The party also clearly expresses its concern over his public speeches, in which he claims that “the presidency may “cancel the 2022 elections” or “not allow it”, referring to “maintaining the current electoral system”.
Another issue highlighted by the party is the “spreading of false information by state bodies”, particularly regarding the institutional treatment of the pandemic.
The IACHR even listed the use of the National Security Act, which dates back to military dictatorship, as an “attempt to intimidate human rights defenders who criticize the ruling government.”
“The Commission notes that this law, repealed in 2021, is also used to support legal action in Brazil against individuals who allegedly undermine democratic institutions, the rule of law and judicial independence.”
An important part of the report also deals with police violence in the country. “The Commission expresses its concern about incidents of police brutality that have led to death in slums,” he said.
“The IACHR specifically condemned the police operations that resulted in the death of 28 civilians in the Jacarezinho favela in Rio de Janeiro state on 6 May 2021, and the police operations conducted between 20 May and 20 May in the Salgueiro favela in the same state, on 22 November 2021 with the deaths of at least nine civilians. finished,” he said.
The document still blames the government. “The Commission recalls Brazil’s duty to ensure compliance with international standards on the use of force, based on the principles of legality, proportionality and absolute necessity, in order to reform its citizenship security policies. Consider its recommendation to punish acts of institutional violence linked to patterns of racial discrimination.”
source: Noticias
