Human Rights Watch Report: Bolsonaro Attempted to Sabotage Anti-Covid-19 Measures, Says

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The negative action of President Jair Bolsonaro’s government concerning the Covid-19 pandemic and record deforestation in the Amazon are highlights in the chapter on Brazil in the 2021 World Report of Human Rights Watch international NGO, released Wednesday morning, January 13th. The document, in its 31st edition, assesses the human rights situation in over 100 countries.

The report, highly critical of the Brazilian government, also mentions policies that oppose the rights of women and people with disabilities, attacks on independent media and civil society organizations.

On the other hand, HRW highlights the efforts of institutions such as the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and the National Council of Justice (CNJ) to curtail the damages caused by government decisions.

One such instance was the STF’s decision to block federal attempts to strip states of their competence to restrict the circulation of people in order to contain the spread of the coronavirus and to publish full data on Covid-19.

The CNJ is noted for recommending judges to reduce pre-trial detention during the pandemic and to consider early release of certain inmates.

Congress was also mentioned with respect to actions taken in connection with the pandemic, addressing a group particularly vulnerable to the federal government’s policies, the indigenous population. The document mentions a bill that compels the government to provide emergency healthcare to indigenous peoples.

All of this while Bolsonaro “attempted to sabotage public health measures aimed at containing the spread of the Covid-19 pandemic”, the document states.

“President Bolsonaro downplayed Covid-19, which he called ‘a minor flu’; refused to implement measures to protect himself and the people around him; spread misinformation; and tried to prevent state governments from imposing social distancing measures,” the text reads.

Another negative aspect highlighted is the increased police violence, which is often encouraged by the President, HRW points out.

In Rio de Janeiro, the police killed 744 people between January and May 2020, the highest figure for the period since at least 2003, although general crime levels have decreased due to the reduction in the number of people on the streets. And in São Paulo, deaths by on-duty police rose by 9% between January and September, the report notes.

Throughout the country, deaths by police officers increased 6% in the first semester of 2020, according to official data collected by the Brazilian Public Safety Forum. In 2019, police killed 6,357 people. Almost 80% of them were black.

Violations of the rights of children, adolescents, women, members of the LGBT community and people with disabilities were also included in the report’s criticism.

One such instance mentioned was when the Minister of Education in September said that gender should not be discussed in schools and that people who “choose” “homosexuality” often come from “dysfunctional families”.

Another case : also in September, the government issued a new national policy that encourages the creation of segregated schools for people with certain disabilities, despite the right of all disabled individuals to an inclusive education.

In addition to the disregard towards the indigenous population – which extends beyond the lack of care during the Covid-19 pandemic and includes plans that can lead to the exploitation of their lands by prospecting and high environmental impact projects – the illegal deforestation and the deaths that it causes in the Amazon region are also emphasized.

The undermining of the enforcement of environmental laws since Jair Bolsonaro took office is mentioned and several instances are noted. The Pantanal patch burnings are also mentioned, the habitat that suffered the greatest destruction in two decades.

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