More than 600,000 people have died from Covid-19 in Brazil, the second largest death toll in the world after the United States. A leaked government report shows that a panel in Brazil's congress will file a mass killing allegation about the country's president, Jair Bolsonaro, about how he handled the coronavirus pandemic. The draft summary shows that the investigation accuses Bolsonaro and other government officials of allowing the deadly coronavirus to spread among people in hopes of achieving herd immunity.
The 1,078-page document, released by Brazilian media on Tuesday afternoon, will not be voted on by the committee until next week, and senators may also revise it. The draft text paints a shocking picture, with many arguing that neglect, incompetence and anti-scientific denial define the Bolsonaro government's response to public health emergencies. The extract shows that the investigative report blames more than half of the deaths on the policies of the Bolsonaro government and calls for murder charges against Bolsonaro.
Written in an excerpt. (Bolsonaro) The government's "reckless" approach to the outbreak has exposed Brazilians to "a real risk of mass infection," with another report highlighting what it calls "an attempt to immunize the population through natural pollution" and that "the federal government, which has a legal obligation to act, has consented to the deaths of Brazilians." ”
The draft report also recommends criminal charges against 69 others, including Bolsonaro's three sons and many current and former government officials. The Brazilian Senate's Parliamentary Committee of Investigation on Epidemics (CPI) told CNN that the final nearly 1,200-page document is expected to be formally discussed in the Brazilian Senate on Wednesday. However, parts of the draft document could still be modified or updated prior to formal submission.
Bolsonaro's office did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Bolsonaro himself will run for re-election next year after he criticized the investigation into his handling of the outbreak as politically motivated. Just this July, Bolsonaro accused the Brazilian Senate's Committee of Investigation into the Pandemic Parliamentary Investigation (CPI) of ignoring other corruption allegations across Brazil, focusing its attention on him and his government, "who want to accuse me of genocide." Now, tell me which country hasn't died [due to COVID-19]? This CPI has no credibility. He also slyly argued that he "felt sorry for the dead, but healthy people had little chance of dying." ”
Bolsonaro has long played down the severity of the virus and believes it is necessary to prioritize Brazil's economic health. The Brazilian Senate Committee of Epidemiological Parliamentary Investigation (CPI) conducted a months-long parliamentary investigation into the Brazilian government's response to Covid-19, which began in May. It used testimony from former health officials such as former health ministers Luiz Henrique Mandetta and Eduardo Pazuello to uncover explosive allegations of alleged corruption, including inflating vaccine purchase prices.
In testimony, Luiz Henrique Mandetta, Brazil's former health minister, also said the government knew early on that the drugs it supported, chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine, had little factual basis. The Brazilian Senate's Committee of Investigation into the Epidemic Parliamentary Council (CPI) said this spring that "the government is aware that it prescribed chloroquine without any scientific evidence." ”
The draft report accuses Brazil's far-right leader, Bolsonaro, of committing a total of 11 crimes, including crimes against humanity, incitement and charlatans, for "stubbornly" promoting ineffective therapies such as the antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine. If the report is approved by a Senate committee next week, it will be sent to Attorney General Augusto Aras, who will have 30 days to announce any measures taken under the report. Still, Attorney General Augusto Arras is widely seen as an ally of Bolsonaro and is not expected to charge Bolsonaro with murder.
The report is the politically explosive outcome of a six-month investigation into brazil's COVID-19 pandemic. Senior Bolsonaro officials and allies, including past and current health ministers, have been subpoenaed in recent weeks before teleconsiderations, and the public has grown increasingly angry at the federal government's actions.
Bolsonaro is coming to the end of his third year in office, though, at least during his presidency of Brazil, is unlikely to face charges. But many experts argue that congressional investigations have done serious and lasting damage to Bolsonaro's political standing. Bolsonaro plans to run for re-election next year, but his approval rating has fallen to record lows. Polls show that Bolsonaro will lose to former left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the October 2022 campaign.