Brazil’s Ascendant, Hard-Line Right Wants to Imprison 16-Year-Olds
The left wing of Brazil’s Legislature has become weak and demoralized, and the “Bullets, Beef and Bible Caucus” is ready to seize power.
m.a.r.c. (CC BY-SA 2.0)
The left wing of Brazil’s Legislature has become weak and demoralized, and the “Bullets, Beef and Bible Caucus” is ready to seize power.
The Guardian reports:
These conservative hardliners – from Brazil’s security forces, agricultural sector and evangelical churches – triumphed in last October’s legislative elections, while President Dilma Rousseff, of the leftwing Workers’ Party (PT), only narrowly won re-election.
Over the past few months, the president’s authority has been undermined by a massive corruption scandal, major street protests and the open revolt of many of her former political allies.
With a survey this week showing that 63% of Brazilians would support impeachment proceedings against her, an energised coalition of rightwing deputies are attempting to impose their agenda on Congress.
Their long-term aims include liberalising Brazil’s gun laws and opening up its indigenous territories to industry. But their first goal is to lower the age of criminal responsibility from 18 to 16.
Continue reading here.
— Posted by Alexander Reed Kelly.
WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...This year, the ground feels uncertain — facts are buried and those in power are working to keep them hidden. Now more than ever, independent journalism must go beneath the surface.
At Truthdig, we don’t just report what's happening — we investigate how and why. We follow the threads others leave behind and uncover the forces shaping our future.
Your tax-deductible donation fuels journalism that asks harder questions and digs where others won’t.
Don’t settle for surface-level coverage.
Unearth what matters. Help dig deeper.
Donate now.
TD Original
Brazilian director Walter Salles turns a political disappearance into shattering drama with the Oscar-nominated “I’m Still Here.”
TD Original
Through policy, pressure and negotiation, the late president's effort were both immediate and, sometimes, lasting.
Environment
BR-319 is a highway to climate chaos in the heart of the Amazon.
TD Original
The Amazon rainforest is one of the most dangerous places in the world to be an Indigenous water and land protector.
TD Original
The Brazilian government’s position on social media threatens the left that brought it to power.
Media
To fit its narrative of Brazil’s judicial overreach, the paper cherry-picked government documents.
You need to be a supporter to comment.
There are currently no responses to this article.
Be the first to respond.