The campaign of threats to democratic and judicial institutions in Brazil amid preparations for new elections in October

23-05-2022

Amanda Lemos

America and Human Rights Researcher

Global Human Rights Defence

Last week, a group of 80 Brazilian jurists and legal researchers sent a document to the United Nations (UN) warning of a systematic campaign of threats to democracy, disinformation and attacks on the country’s judiciary, promoted by President Jair Bolsonaro. The petition was addressed to the UN Special Rapporteur on the Independence of Judges and Lawyers, Diego Garcia-Sayan, urging to visit Brazil and report on attacks to the Supreme Court and the Superior Electoral Court, as the country prepares for elections in October.

The document carefully lists the institutional threats committed by the Bolsonaro government, with detailed accounts of the actions in topics such as “Attacks on the electoral system and the Electoral Justice”, “Celebration of Independence and the strong coup speech” and “The clash between the Supreme Court and Bolsonaro on the case of deputy Daniel Silveira”. In addition to the visit of the Special Rapporteur, the group of jurists wants the UN to request the Brazilian government to provide information on the measures adopted in regards to the attacks on democratic and judicial institutions, as well as the presentation of conclusions and preliminary recommendations based on what the Rapporteur observes during the visit.

The Brazilian judicial system is facing an unprecedented campaign of distrust and public threats whenever a judge decides against the government’s agenda. President Bolsonaro, and his family members, have proclaimed many threats such as that the Brazilian electronic voting system is vulnerable to fraud, that electoral judges are behind such alleged frauds, that the armed forces should conduct their own parallel vote count, and that the Supreme Court judges can only be overthrown with effective action of the people. 

The document affirms that the institutional war provoked by the President undermines fundamental guarantees and promotes an avalanche of disinformation. It further contends that the “Bolsonaro government encourages public attacks on institutions and violence against political opponents, as well as undermines confidence in the constitutional procedures necessary for the protection of rights and the peaceful resolution of electoral and political conflicts”.

Sources and further reading:

Al Jazeera. (2022, May 18). Bolsonaro gov’t threatening Brazilian democracy, jurists tell UN. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2022/5/18/bolsonaro-govt-threatening-brazilian-democracy-jurists-tell-un

Conjur. (2022, May 18). ONU recebe alerta sobre ameaças à democracia e ao Judiciário no Brasil. Retrieved May 23, 2022, from https://www.conjur.com.br/2022-mai-18/onu-recebe-alerta-ameacas-democracia-judiciario