Brazilian senators investigating the handling of the country’s COVID-19 outbreak filed their final report Wednesday on whether President Jair Bolsonaro is responsible for more than 300,000 COVID-19-related deaths in Brazil. The 1200-page report follows six months of investigations by an 11-member committee into the causes of Brazil’s outbreak.
The Brazilian Senate inquiry was set to recommend that Bolsonaro be charged with mass murder and genocide, according to leaks provided by the New York Times. The charges have since been demoted to the less severe charges of causing a deadly epidemic, violating preventative health measures, falsifying documents, improperly using public funds, and inciting crimes according to the Brazilian Report. Senator Omar Aziz, president of the panel, said the change was because of a lack of consensus among lawmakers on the previous charges.
Brazil has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. The country has lost nearly 600,000 lives to the virus since it made landfall in 2020, second only to the US.
Bolsonaro has been heavily criticized for not enforcing a lockdown to slow the spread as the virus surged. He also ignored public health advice, urging his supporters to discard their masks and use the scientifically unproven hydroxychloroquine as treatment. Bolsonaro downplayed the threat of the virus, calling it a “little flu” on one occasion and recently telling Brazilians to “stop whining” about it impacts. After contracting the virus, Bolsonaro said he felt weak and that he had “mold” in his lungs.
The investigation also canvased the lack of available oxygen in the northern city of Manaus during the height of the spread, the delay in buying vaccines, and Bolsonaro’s anti-lockdown speeches.
It is unclear if the report will result in criminal charges against the president. The report will be put to a vote next week. If approved, Brazil’s attorney general will have 30 days to decide whether or not to pursue criminal charges. At that point, the president would be removed for a period of 180 days as the Supreme Court decides the case.
However, Bolsonaro likely has enough congressional support to belay the proceedings. Even if the report was approved, Attorney General Augusto Aras, who was appointed by Bolsonaro, remains his adamant supporter.
Regardless, the report could have a political impact. The revelations could also be sent to the International Criminal Court to provide evidence for crimes against humanity.
