Brazil’s far-right President is facing his second set of charges at the International Criminal Court in the Hague. The new second set of charges deals directly with Coronavirus and the Bolsonaro’s Government’s reckless and inadequate response. The first charges dealt with his genocidal policy towards the country’s indigenous population, who have also been put at risk by the Coronavirus pandemic.

Update 26 July 2020. Jair Bolsonaro is now facing a third separate denunciation at the Hague for genocide and crimes against humanity

Brazilian legal experts file charges against Bolsonaro at the International Criminal Court

The ABJD (Brazilian Association of Jurists for Democracy) filed on Thursday, April 2nd, a complaint against president Jair Bolsonaro at the ICC (International Criminal Court), for crimes against humanity that victimize the Brazilian population in the face of the coronavirus pandemic.

According to the organization, at the moment, Brazil has a Head of State whose behavior is absolutely irresponsible. Due to this, they are asking the ICC to accept their complaint and implement proceedings to investigate the president’s conduct; to seek information from the Federal Government and a statement from Bolsonaro explaining practices that are contradictory to global health recommendations for combating Covid-19; and to indict the president for crimes against humanity, for endangering the lives of the Brazilian people through concrete actions that stimulate contagion and the spread of the virus, then applying the appropriate sentence.

“By choice or omission, Bolsonaro is putting people’s lives at risk, committing crimes and necessitating a response by the International Criminal Court, in order to protect the lives of thousands of people. Some projections estimate that there will be more than 1 million deaths in Brazil, if the WHO (World Health Organization) recommendations are not followed”, the document reinforces.

Violations of health measures

The jurists list a series of actions undertaken by the nation’s president that minimize the severity of the pandemic, contradict the guidelines from health experts worldwide, the directives and recommendations of the WHO and every nation that has already been, or is at the epicenter of the pandemic. Among them are pronouncements inciting the end of social isolation and the reopening of schools and businesses; the launching of an official campaign called “Brazil Must Not Stop”; public outings to take part in protests that created large gatherings of people; and the decree for the reopening of the lottery and places of worship.

“The crimes he committed gravely affect the mental and physical health of the Brazilian population, exposing them to a virus lethal to many sectors and with a scary rate of proliferation, as we have seen in many countries. The places that neglected the policy of quarantine are seeing the biggest impacts of the pandemic, like in Italy, Spain and the United States”, the complaint highlights.

Crimes

For the ABJD, Bolsonaro is engaging in the crime of contagion, under article 267 of the Brazilian Penal Code, and also breaking the laws governing heinous crimes.