US LAWMAKERS URGE BIDEN TO EXPEL FORMER BRAZILIAN PRESIDENT BOLSONARO OVER BRAZIL RIOTS

Fri 13 January 2023:

Democratic lawmakers urged President Joe Biden on Thursday to revoke Jair Bolsonaro’s visa, arguing that the United States shouldn’t provide asylum to anyone involved in violence against Brazil’s recently elected government.

Bolsonaro, a close ally of former US president Donald Trump, travelled to Florida rather than attend President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration on January 1. He also made unfounded claims about the fairness of the elections in October.

Supporters of Bolsonaro rioted in Brasilia on Sunday, damaging the presidential palace and other buildings while making comparisons to the attack on the US Capitol on January 6, 2021.

“We know firsthand the impact — both immediate and long-term — when government officials subvert democratic norms, spread misinformation and foment violent extremism,” said the letter by 41 House members.

“We must not allow Mr. Bolsonaro or any other former Brazilian officials to take refuge in the United States to escape justice for any crimes they may have committed when in office,” said the lawmakers, who included prominent progressive Joaquin Castro and Gregory Meeks, the top Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

In an interview with CNN Brasil, Bolsonaro stated that he had previously intended to return by the end of January but will now advance his plans due to health concerns after being admitted to the hospital for injuries sustained in a 2018 knife assault.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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