The Permanent Peoples’ Tribunal (PPT) will held in São Paulo, Brazil, on May 24 and 25, 2022, the Session on “Pandemic and Authoritaniarism. The responsibility of the Bolsonaro government for systematic violations of the fundamental rights of the Brazilian peoples perpetrated through the policies imposed in the Covid-19 pandemic”.
This Session is organized in response to a request received from the Dom Paulo Evaristo Arns Commission for the Defense of Human Rights, the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (Apib), the Black Coalition for Rights, and the Public Services International (PSI). These organizations are extremely concerned about the increased hostility and violence against minority groups in Brazil during the Covid-19 pandemic. They argues that the Brazil’s President of the Republic, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, and his government, has intentionally promoted the aggravation of the pandemic in the country, by his discourse regarding health protection measures, by his recommendation of ineffective treatments, or by the delay and lack of transparency when purchasing vaccines for Brazilians.
During the public hearings, the PPT panel of judges will examine the occurrence of violations and crimes against humanity committed by President Bolsonaro and his government, affecting Black populations, Indigenous peoples, and health workers amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.
The indictment will be presented by Eloísa Machado, a lawyer and professor of Constitutional Law at the Getulio Vargas Foundation Law School; Maurício Terena, a lawyer from the Articulation of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil; and Sheila de Carvalho, a lawyer from the Black Coalition for Rights.
The defense will be in charge of a representative designated by the Brazilian government, previously notified of the indictment by the PPT.
The panel of judges, convened by the PPT President and the PPT General secretary, is chaired by the distinguished Italian jurist and former judge Luigi Ferrajoli, full professor at the University of Rome Tre and integrated by renowned experts in the fields of Law, social sciences, and global health:
ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA – Sir Clare Roberts, former Minister of Justice, former president of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, and former judge of the Eastern Caribbean Supreme Court; ARGENTINA – Alejandro Macchia, public health physician and epidemiologist; Eugenio Raul Zaffaroni, former member of the Supreme Court of Argentina and former judge of the Inter-American Court of Human Rights – OAS; BRAZIL – Joziléa Kaingang, Indigenous leader and social anthropologist; Kenarik Boujikian, former appellate judge at São Paulo Court of Justice; Rubens Ricupero, ambassador, former Minister, former Secretary General of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development; Vercilene Dias Kalunga, quilombola leader and lawyer; UNITED KINGDOM – Baroness Vivien Stern, member of the House of Lords, specialist in criminal law and human rights; ITALY – Nicoletta Dentico, journalist, writer, and global health consultant; PORTUGAL – Boaventura de Sousa Santos, full professor in the Faculty of Economics of the University of Coimbra; Luís Moita, full professor at the Autonomous University of Lisbon, specialist in Peace and War Studies; SWITZERLAND – Jean Ziegler, professor of sociology at the University of Geneva, former member of the Swiss Parliament, former Special Rapporteur of the United Nations Human Rights Council.
THE PROGRAMME
The programme of the hearings is available in Portuguese and English.
HOW TO WATCH
The PPT has convened two in-person hearings open to the public at the Noble Hall of the Law School of the University of São Paulo (Largo de São Francisco, 95, Centro, SP, first floor), on May 24 and 25, from 8:45 to 13:30 (Brazilian time).
The PPT General Secretariat in Rome will act remotely, as will the international panel of judges.
Simultaneous translation will be provided (Brazilian Portuguese – English).
To watch online, access the YouTube channels:
Redes sociais da Comissão Arns https://www.youtube.com/c/Comiss%C3%A3oArnsemDestaque
APIB
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzr1604R7qLb5Y14DKIjpEA
Coalizão Negra por Direitos
https://www.youtube.com/c/Coaliz%C3%A3oNegraPorDireitos
Internacional de Serviços Públicos
https://www.youtube.com/user/PSIglobalunion
For more information:
ppt@permanentpeoplestribunal.org
comissaoarns@comissaoarns.org
