International Court to investigate Bolsonaro for Fires

Published: Thursday, 29 August 2019 15:29 | Written by Prensa Latina | Print | Email | Hits: 162

The Angels of Liberty Institute filed a request before the International Criminal Court to investigate Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro for his responsibility in the fires that are currently devouring the Amazon rainforest. According to the petition, the fires 'are a reflection of the projects of Bolsonaro and his political group, that are only carried out through the genocide of local populations, including indigenous peoples.'

The Institute also claims there is a situation of 'cultural genocide, due to the extermination of elements of local cultures, including the annihilation of biodiversity.'

The request describes the 'notorious apology for the garimpo (diamond mine) and mining in indigenous lands, defended by Bolsonaro and based on statements that in themselves undermine indigenous peoples, given their culture, dependent on the native environment.'

Signed by lawyers Flavia Pinheiro Froes, Nicole Giamberardino Fabre, Daniel Sanchez Borges, Ramiro Rebouças and Paulo Cuzzuol, the petition argues that the far-right politician should be investigated for committing crimes against humanity, advocating the genocide of the Amazon's indigenous peoples, torture, forced disappearance and indiscriminate homicide and extermination policies.

According to data recently released by the National Institute for Space Research, the Amazon region recorded more than half of the 71,497 forest fires detected in Brazil between January and August, 83% more than those recorded during the same period last year.

'The problems of deforestation and burning in the Amazon are longstanding, but the worsening of this situation in 2019 is a direct result of the behavior of the government of Jair Bolsonaro,' denounces a joint statement by the Brazilian network of non-governmental organizations.