Senator Roberto a Sayles (pictured) said that it’s “shocking” and “painful” that people are attacking his co-clerk
Brazilian senators on Friday morning recommended that President-elect Jair Bolsonaro be charged with crimes against humanity, Attorney General Rodrigo Janot said.
The vote was 15 to 10, with four abstentions, Janot told reporters in Brasilia. He said that the motion to bring the charges is expected to be approved on Monday.
“It’s shocking that people could attack a clerk’s office with automatic weapons. It’s painful to see such a response,” he said.
Bolsonaro has made a name for himself in recent weeks as the leader of a far-right movement called “Brazilians First,” which he says will restore power to the states. He has made clear that he plans to eliminate many federal government agencies and re-establish full political autonomy in state capitals.
The federal government currently has responsibility for over 400 different agencies in the states of Amazonas, Rio de Janeiro, Sao Paulo, and Pernambuco.
This has prompted concern about mass civilian resignations and the possible breakdown of democracy as the states become increasingly autonomous.
While the president-elect has shown a readiness to challenge some of the government’s democratic structures, on the campaign trail he proposed a reformed electoral system to reduce possible corruption.
Before his Friday morning Senate hearing, Bolsonaro said that he would do “everything in my power” to send the military back to Brazil.
“We are conducting a government of soldiers for soldiers,” Bolsonaro said, adding, “we will need soldiers for our public security.”
If the army charges the president, the country’s Constitution would be suspended and the vice president would become interim president until a trial is completed.
In 1982, the military government assumed complete control of the state governments and installed a “one-man” command mechanism. The dictatorship prosecuted political opponents for using any word or way of communicating that could be seen as suggesting the nation was democratic.
Those charged were sentenced to anywhere from 18 years to life in prison.
Those convicted in the “preface of dictatorship” included members of the armed forces, politicians, professors, and priests. Many were also tortured. They included 30 Jesuit priests, ten university professors, one juvenile prison officer, and the director of a medical school.
The military government was eventually overthrown in 1985.
Brazil’s new president is scheduled to take office on January 1, 2019.
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