Brazilian Health Workers File ICC Complaint Arguing Bolsonaro Covid-19 Response Has Been Crime Again
Published on
Tuesday, July 28, 2020
by Common Dreams
Catholic bishops in Brazil are also accusing the government of systematically using "unscientific arguments... to normalize a Covid-19 plague that is killing thousands."
by Jessica Corbett, staff writer
A network of unions and social organizations representing over a million health workers in Brazil filed a complaint Monday calling on the International Criminal Court to investigate President Jair Bolsonaro's widely condemned handling of the coronavirus pandemic, arguing it amounts to a crime against humanity.
As Brazil's Covid-19 caseload and death toll have climbed to more than 2.44 million and over 87,600 respectively—second only to the U.S.—Bolsonaro has provoked intense criticism at home and abroad for downplaying the threat posed by the virus, refusing at times to wear a face mask or practice social distancing, and challenging local restrictions. After testing positive in early July for the virus he has dismissed as a "little flu," Bolsonaro announced Saturday that he has since tested negative.
Brazil's UNISaúde network filed a complaint with the ICC, the international tribunal based in the Hague which probes and prosecutes individuals for genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes, and the crime of aggression. As Al Jazeera reported, the medical professionals' complaint accuses the government of being "criminally negligent in its management of the Covid-19 pandemic—risking the lives of healthcare professionals and of members of the Brazilian society."
Link to tweet
More:
https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/07/28/brazilian-health-workers-file-icc-complaint-arguing-bolsonaro-covid-19-response-has