Silvio Almeida appears at a hearing in the Chamber: see the topics discussed

The Minister of Human Rights, Silvio Almeida, attended the hearing in the Chamber of Deputies to provide clarifications on the payment of tickets to the “Amazonian drug lady”, wife of a Comando Vermelho leader. The invitation was approved by federal deputies from the commissions of Financial Inspection and Control; and Public Security and Combating Organized Crime.

In the requests, the parliamentarians cite the visit of Luciane Barbosa Farias, known as the “drug lady”, to the Ministry of Justice and the statement she made on November 14, when pointing out the payment for one of her trips to Brasília, by the Ministry of Human Rights. Silvio Almeida’s ministry denied the accusations, and said that Luciane’s tickets were paid for by the National Committee for the Prevention and Combat of Torture (CNPCT).

The minister opened his participation by praising the actions of the Ministry of Human Rights and reinforcing that the subject on which he was invited to speak “has already been thoroughly clarified”.

“The matter that brings me here today has already been thoroughly dealt with by the Ministry, through institutional channels. Clarifications have already been given, and I have never seen or received this lady in my ministry, nor have my secretaries received it. It was the state committees that appointed their representatives. Therefore, I leave at the disposal of the commission, the letter that was received by the committee and not by me, sent by the state of Amazonas indicating you as the representative of Amazonas at the event”, she explained.

Regarding the fact that the “drug lady” was convicted “more than 10 years ago for organized crime and trafficking, Almeida said that the Committee had no way of knowing because the invitation was sent days before her conviction. “Even if the Ministry had any type of intelligence, her name was received on October 3rd by the ministry according to the document, and she was only sentenced on October 8th. Therefore, this is a clarified issue”, she highlighted.

The minister criticized the opposition for “trying to heat up an issue to harm the government”. “I would like to repudiate malicious and criminal news and insinuations against my work. I repudiate any and all statements that attempt to link my name to any wrongdoing,” he said.

Impeachment request

At the hearing, the minister also criticized the impeachment request that was presented by deputies against him for a crime of responsibility. According to Almeida, the legal piece is “embarrassing” and “fifth category”.

“This is an absolutely embarrassing request. But it’s not embarrassing for me. But it is embarrassing for those who wrote it and those who signed it. I even recommend that anyone who signed without reading it, and I will say this with great respect, (…) review their decision to sign the document, because it is simply shameful. A fifth-rate legal piece, and if it were in the OAB test, the person who did it would not pass, as the wrong address in the OAB test generates failure”, criticized the minister.

Almeida claims that the request errs in not presenting the act that corresponds to the crime of responsibility. “Just when you think that the play is going to determine the act that I supposedly performed or ordered, the play… closes, the play ends,” he said.

The request, headed by deputy Rodrigo Valadares (União-SE) was filed on November 16th with the signature of 45 federal deputies. In the preliminary request, which Gazeta do Povo published, it is stated that Silvio Almeida had committed a crime of responsibility for paying Luciana’s travel expenses and having placed “the state apparatus at the disposal of an individual umbilically linked to illicit drug trafficking, demeaning the Republic, instrumentalized that was in favor of the interest of the criminal group represented by that person”.

January 8 arrest

The violation of human rights and the degrading situation of January 8 prisoners in the prison in Brasília was also presented to Minister Silvio Almeida. The opposition demanded a more respectful stance from the government and emergency solutions for prisoners.

“I find it curious that they worry about prisons now. I remember when I started to say that I would worry/take care of prisons, what you said was that I would do “rolezinho” in prisons. Now that some of your people are in prison, you are aware of the situation. I call that hypocrisy,” said Almeida.

Security and human rights

The minister refuted statements from the security bench that criticized the interference of human rights in the actions of police officers in the fight against organized crime. “The argument that opposes public security and human rights is false, it is a lie. There is no public security without respect for human rights and there are no human rights without an intelligent and efficient public security policy. (…) Police officers and public security agents must also be defenders of human rights. Protecting the population against crime, acting based on the dictates of the law, is an essential part of a human rights policy. Security is a fundamental right,” he declared.

Position on Hamas

Silvio Almeida was also questioned at the hearing about the government’s lack of a more critical stance towards the extremist group Hamas in the war against Israel. The minister denied “alleged omission” in Hamas and said that the government has “ensured that all people involved can remain safe”.

“I recorded the government’s position and mine on the case and the need to cease fire several times. This position was so agreed that, in fact, the ceasefire was agreed. This government did not just stay on the official note, we repatriated everyone who wished,” he said.