In April 2020, the Brazilian Association of Legal Experts for Democracy (ABJD) filed  a complaint against President Jair Bolsonaro at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, accusing the head of state of committing “crimes against humanity.” The ABJD said Mr. Bolsonaro “put the lives of the population at risk” by ignoring World Health Organization recommendations on Covid-19, and actively contributing to the spread of the coronavirus in Brazil.

The ICC turned the case down, saying the accusations didn’t fit the description of genocide, crimes against humanity, or war crimes, established by the Rome Statute.

But now that a Senate inquiry has found Mr. Bolsonaro guilty of nine pandemic-related crimes — including crimes against humanity — the association wants to take another go at holding him accountable for his actions. Today, the ABJD will file another request for the ICC to investigate Mr. Bolsonaro, in a petition shared with The Brazilian Report.

Full article at The Brazilian Report’s website. Date of publication: 11/11/2021.