This presidential pardon, granted to a deputy close to the head of state, sparked an outcry and the opposition lamented the “institutional breach”.
Article written by
Posted on 4/22/2022 8:25 PM Updated on 4/22/2022 8:37 PM
Reading time: 1 min
Another showdown with the judiciary. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday April 21 pardoned one of his relatives, a lawmaker who was sentenced to prison by the Supreme Court the day before for making anti-democratic remarks. This act sparked an outcry and the opposition called for an “institutional break”. The Rede party (centre left) filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on Friday, demanding the repeal of that decree.
On Thursday evening, the far-right president explained in his weekly live on Facebook that he had granted his pardon “in the name of freedom of expression, an essential pillar of our society”. Former police officer Daniel Silveira, 39, was arrested in February 2021 after posting a video full of insults against Supreme Court justices, whom he particularly wished would be “beaten in the street”.
In the same video, he also praised the military dictatorship (1964-1985) of which President Bolsonaro is an ardent admirer, declaring that the judges of the country’s highest court “do not serve[ai]End to nothing” and “should be deposed”. In March, Daniel Silveira barricaded himself in his office in Parliament. Accept this measure imposed by the Supreme Court pending his verdict.