Ethics Council prosecutes Brazil congressman for praising torture
The Ethics Council chairman, congressman José Carlos Araújo, initiated today (Jun. 28) the proceedings against deputy Jair Bolsonaro.
According to a complaint filed by Brazil's Green Party (PV), the lawmaker is being prosecuted for praising torture. The board has now 90 working days to determine the congressman's future.
In the complaint, the Green Party accuses the lawmaker of praising torture when he dedicated his vote to Colonel Brilhante Ustra during a session that approved advancing impeachment proceedings against suspended President Dilma Rousseff in the Chamber of Deputies in April this year. Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, known as “Colonel Ustra,” was the first military man officially recognized by the country's court authorities as a torturer in the period of military rule (1964-1988).
In a note, Bolsonaro cites the parliamentary immunity described in the Constitution, and rules out the possibility of carrying penalties just because he mentioned the colonel during the impeachment session.
The congressman is already the defendant in another case at the Supreme Court for encouraging the crime of rape and for insulting a colleague.
Translated by Amarílis Anchieta
Fonte: Ethics Council prosecutes Brazil congressman for praising torture
