[Peace] Conyers: 40 House Dems Urge Sec. Kerry to Call for Democracy in Brazil

Mon Jul 25 19:48:10 UTC 2016

*From:* Reddick-Smith, Shadawn
*Sent:* Monday, July 25, 2016 3:30 PM
*Subject:* 40 HOUSE DEMOCRATS URGE SECRETARY KERRY TO CALL FOR DEMOCRACY IN
BRAZIL

*[image: cid:image001.png at 01D1CEE4.662DFBD0]*

*For Immediate Release:*

*July 25,
2016
                 *

*Contact: Shadawn Reddick-Smith **202.573.4712 <202.573.4712>*

*40 HOUSE DEMOCRATS URGE SECRETARY KERRY TO CALL FOR DEMOCRACY IN BRAZIL*

*Washington, D.C.* - U.S. Representatives John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI), Marcy
Kaptur (D-OH), Keith Ellison (D-MN) and more than thirty other members of
the House of Representatives sent a letter today to Secretary of State John
Kerry, urging him to refrain from gestures that could be interpreted as
supportive of Brazil's interim government and to instead "express strong
concern" regarding the impeachment process targeting Brazilian President
Dilma Rousseff and to "call for the protection of constitutional democracy
and the rule of law in Brazil.” The letter is the first Congressional
letter expressing concern over Brazil’s democracy in more than two decades.

The letter notes that the legal basis for the ongoing impeachment of
Brazil's first female elected president has been widely contested and that
there is compelling evidence showing that key promoters of the impeachment
campaign are seeking to remove Rousseff in order to contain the
investigation of corruption cases and impose a far-right policy agenda that
was rejected by Brazilian voters in the country’s most recent elections.

The Members of Congress also expressed concern about the implications of
the impeachment for the Brazilian people, in particular women and
Afro-Brazilians. As the letter notes, the interim government has not only
eliminated the Ministry for women, racial equality and human rights, but
has also appointed a ministerial cabinet composed exclusively of white
males in a country where the majority of citizens identifies as black or of
mixed race.

“What we're seeing in Brazil is a power-grab by politicians who weren't
able to win at the ballot box,” said *Congressman John Conyers*. “Our
government should speak out against the antidemocratic travesty taking
place in Brazil.”

“This is a key moment in time when diplomatic gestures and statements from
the United States will have true consequences for Brazil, its future as a
democracy, and for the world,” said *Congresswoman Marcy Kaptur*.  “The
next few weeks will see Brazil in the world spotlight as the host of the
Olympics, and we must be extraordinarily thoughtful and careful to support
democratic values and principles.”

“It is deeply troubling that so many of the leaders of the campaign to
unseat Brazil’s elected president are under investigation for corruption.
President Rousseff has not even been charged with a crime,” said *Congressman
Keith Ellison*. “The interim authorities are rushing to replace The
President’s progressive administration with austerity and privatization,
before the Senate even indicts her. This is a serious threat to the
democratic process in Brazil, and our administration should not support it.”

The letter was endorsed by AFL-CIO, United Steelworkers (USW), American
Federation of Teachers (AFT), United Auto Workers (UAW), Communication
Workers of America (CWA), Coalition of Black Trade Unionists, Center for
Economic and Policy Research (CEPR), Washington Office on Latin America
(WOLA), Global Fund for Women, Friends of the Earth, and Amazon Watch,
 among many other groups.

Signers of the letter included Reps. John Conyers, Jr. (MI-13), Marcy
Kaptur (OH-09), Keith Ellison (MN-05), John Lewis (GA-05), Barbara Lee
(CA-13), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-03), Jim McDermott
(WA-07), Elijah E. Cummings (MD-07), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson, Jr. (GA-04),
Alan Grayson (FL-09), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Sheila
Jackson Lee (TX-18), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC), Sam Farr (CA-20), Steve
Cohen (TN-9), Janice D. Schakowsky (IL-09), Michael M. Honda (CA-17), Eddie
Bernice Johnson (TX-30), José E. Serrano (NY-15), Bobby L. Rush (IL-01),
David N. Cicilline (RI-01), Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-03), Donna F. Edwards
(MD-04), Corrine Brown (FL-05), Sanford D. Bishop, Jr. (GA-02), Bennie G.
Thompson (MS-02), Alcee L. Hastings (FL-20), David Scott (GA-13), Emanuel
Cleaver (MO-05), Mark Takano (CA-41), Ron Kind (WI-03), Frederica S. Wilson
(FL-24), Michael E. Capuano (MA-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), Matt
Cartwright (PA-17), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ruben Gallego (AZ-07), and
Betty McCollum (MN-04).

Full text of the letter is available below, with a Portuguese translation
below that.

###

July 25, 2016

The Honorable John Kerry

United States Secretary of State

Department of State

2201 C Street N.W.

Washington, D.C. 20520

Dear Secretary Kerry,

We write to express our deep concern regarding recent developments in
Brazil that we believe threaten that country’s democratic institutions. We
urge you to exercise the utmost caution in your dealings with Brazil’s
interim authorities and to refrain from statements or actions that might be
interpreted as supportive of the impeachment campaign launched against
President Dilma Rousseff. Our government should express strong concern
regarding the circumstances surrounding the impeachment process and call
for the protection of constitutional democracy and the rule of law in
Brazil.

As you are aware, Brazil’s legislature recently voted to suspend President
Dilma Rousseff and a pending Senate trial could result in her permanent
removal from office. This is not a legal trial, but a political one, where
a two-thirds majority vote by a Senate riddled with corruption can end
President Rousseff’s tenure. The circumstances surrounding these
impeachment proceedings and the recent actions taken by Brazil’s interim
government have generated enormous controversy both in Brazil and
internationally. The impeachment process has come under fire for procedural
irregularities, corruption, and political motivations from its beginning.
The U.S. government should express concern about the threat to democratic
institutions unfolding in a country that is one of our most important
political and economic allies in the region, and the world’s fifth most
populous country as well as Latin America’s largest economy.

With President Rousseff’s suspension, Vice President Michel Temer ascended
to power and immediately replaced a progressive, diverse and representative
administration with one that contains only white men who have announced
plans to impose austerity, privatization and a far right social agenda.
Their actions include the elimination of the  Ministry for women, racial
equality and human rights (replacing them with weak  Secretariats
subordinated to the Justice Ministry), and the announcement of major
funding reductions for social programs and poverty reduction, prompting
statements of concern from the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights
and other groups.

Brazil remains deeply divided along income lines, yet the new cabinet has
supported an agenda of sharp reductions to public services and extensive
public pension and labor reforms with potentially deeply adverse effects on
the poorest and most vulnerable. Again, these sharp reversals in government
policy are conducted by a government with no popular mandate and which has
come to power through extremely dubious means.

In his first 30 days in office, Michel Temer lost three of his chosen
ministers to corruption charges, including a close ally, Romero Jucá,
President of the Brazilian Democratic Movement Party. Mr. Jucá stepped down
after Brazil’s largest newspaper *Folha de Sao Paulo* released a taped
conversation of him plotting the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff to
install Temer in her place as a way to shut down a massive corruption
investigation. To make matters worse, many of the politicians who support
this impeachment process currently face allegations of serious crimes such
as corruption, embezzlement and even attempted homicide. This includes Mr.
Temer, who was found guilty of campaign finance violations and is banned
from running for any political office, including the one he now holds, for
eight years once he leaves office.

President Rousseff herself has never been formally charged with corruption
and the impeachment claims are not based on corruption allegations.
Instead, she is accused of using money from public banks to temporarily
cover budget gaps. Whether appropriate or not, it is a widely used practice
at all levels of Brazilian government, including by her two predecessors.
This fuels allegations that the impeachment proceedings against President
Rousseff are politically motivated. Beyond that, however, they are also
seen as an opportunity for the interim president to impose a political
agenda which reflects the views of the opposition, not of the elected
President.

Finally, we are concerned that, rather than showing concern regarding these
troubling developments, our government has sent signals that could be
interpreted as supportive of the impeachment campaign. Because many
Brazilians have labeled the impeachment process as a “coup” against the
country’s elected president, it is especially important that U.S. actions
not be perceived as supportive of impeachment. We note, for instance, that
on April 19 – just two days after the lower house voted to impeach
President Rousseff – Brazilian senator Aloysio Nunes, a key backer of the
impeachment campaign, met with one of the State Department’s most senior
officials: Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon.
In Brazil, this meeting was widely interpreted as a gesture of support for
the removal of President Rousseff from office.

Furthermore, we are dismayed to note that to date, State Department
officials have limited themselves to expressing confidence in the
democratic process in Brazil, without noting some of the very obvious
concerns regarding the impeachment process and actions taken by the interim
government. We urge you to join others in the region and express concern
regarding these recent events and support stability, constitutional
democracy and the rule of law in Brazil.

Sincerely,

Members of Congress

_______________________________________

Vossa Excelência Secretário Kerry,

Escrevemos para expressar nossa profunda preocupação com os acontecimentos
recentes no Brasil, que ameaçam as instituições democráticas do país. Nós
também pedimos que Vossa Excelência exerça máxima cautela nas relações com
as autoridades interinas do Brasil, e que se abstenha de declarações ou
ações que possam ser interpretadas como apoio à campanha de impeachment
lançada contra a presidenta Dilma Rousseff. Nós acreditamos que nosso
governo deve expressar forte preocupação em relação às circunstâncias que
envolvem o processo de impeachment e apelamos para a proteção da democracia
constitucional e do Estado de Direito no Brasil.

Como é de vosso conhecimento, o Legislativo brasileiro votou recentemente
para suspender a presidenta Dilma Rousseff. O julgamento no Senado ainda
está pendente, e pode resultar em seu afastamento permanente do cargo. Este
não é um julgamento legal, mas sim um julgamento político, onde dois terços
dos votos de um Senado crivado de corrupção podem levar a termo o mandato
da presidenta Rousseff. As circunstâncias que envolvem o processo de
impeachment e as recentes ações tomadas pelo governo interino do Brasil têm
gerado grande controvérsia, tanto no Brasil quanto internacionalmente. O
processo de impeachment tem sido amplamente criticado por irregularidades
processuais, corrupção e motivações políticas desde seu início. O governo
dos EUA deve expressar sua preocupação com a ameaça às instituições
democráticas que se desdobram em um país que é um dos nossos mais
importantes aliados políticos e econômicos na Região e o quinto país mais
populoso do mundo, bem como a maior economia da América Latina.

Com a suspensão da presidenta Rousseff, o vice-presidente Michel Temer
ascendeu ao poder e imediatamente substituiu uma administração
progressista, diversificada e representativa por um gabinete formado apenas
por homens brancos, que anunciaram planos para impor austeridade,
privatizações e uma agenda social de extrema direita. Suas ações incluem a
eliminação do Ministério das Mulheres, da Igualdade Social e dos Direitos
Humanos (substituindo-o por Secretarias fracas subordinadas ao Ministério
da Justiça), e o anúncio de grandes cortes no financiamento de programas
sociais e de redução da pobreza, instigando declarações de preocupação por
parte da Comissão Interamericana de Direitos Humanos e outros grupos.

O Brasil continua profundamente dividido em linhas de renda, e, ainda
assim, o novo gabinete tem apoiado uma agenda de reduções drásticas nos
serviços públicos e extensas reformas nas pensões públicas e nas leis
trabalhistas, com potenciais efeitos profundamente adversos para os mais
pobres e mais vulneráveis. Novamente, essas fortes reversões da política de
governo são conduzidas por um governo sem mandato popular e que chegou ao
poder por meios extremamente duvidosos.

Em seus primeiros 30 dias no cargo, Michel Temer perdeu três de seus
ministros, acusados de corrupção, incluindo um aliado próximo, Romero Jucá,
presidente do Partido do Movimento Democrático Brasileiro (PMDB). O Sr.
Jucá deixou o cargo após o maior jornal do Brasil, Folha de São Paulo,
divulgar uma conversa gravada em que ele conspirava sobre o impeachment da
presidenta Dilma Rousseff para colocar Temer em seu lugar, como uma forma
de pôr um fim às investigações de corrupção em massa (acho melhor: de pôr
um fim a uma série investigações de corrupção. Para piorar a situação,
muitos dos políticos que apoiam este processo de impeachment enfrentam,
atualmente, alegações de crimes graves, como corrupção, peculato e até
mesmo tentativa de homicídio. Isso inclui o Sr. Temer, que foi condenado
por violações de financiamento de campanha e está impossibilitado de
concorrer a qualquer cargo político (incluindo o que ele agora exerce) por
oito anos, uma vez que ele deixe o gabinete.

A presidenta Rousseff nunca foi formalmente acusada de corrupção e as
justificações para seu impeachment não são baseadas em alegações de
corrupção. Em vez disso, ela é acusada de usar dinheiro dos bancos públicos
para cobrir temporariamente lacunas de orçamento. Sendo adequada ou não,
essa é uma prática amplamente utilizada em todos os níveis do governo
brasileiro, inclusive por seus dois predecessores. Isso corrobora as
alegações de que o processo de impeachment contra a presidenta Rousseff é
motivado politicamente. Além disso, ele também é percebido como uma
oportunidade para o presidente interino impor uma agenda política que
reflete os pontos de vista da oposição, e não da presidenta eleita.

Finalmente, nos preocupa o fato de que, ao em vez de expressar apreensão
com esses acontecimentos alarmantes, o nosso governo tem enviado sinais que
poderiam ser interpretadas como favoráveis à campanha de impeachment.
Muitos brasileiros têm rotulado o processo de impeachment como um "golpe"
contra a presidenta eleita, e é especialmente importante que as ações dos
Estados Unidos não sejam percebidas como de apoio ao impeachment. Nós
notamos, por exemplo, que em 19 de abril – apenas dois dias depois que a
Câmara votou para impedir a presidenta Rousseff – o senador brasileiro
Aloysio Nunes, um apoiador-chave da campanha do impeachment, reuniu-se com
um dos mais altos funcionários do Departamento de Estado: o Subsecretário
de Estado para Assuntos Políticos, Thomas Shannon. No Brasil, esta reunião
foi amplamente interpretada como um gesto de apoio para a remoção da
presidenta Dilma Rousseff de seu cargo.

Ademais, estamos consternados ao constatar que, até esta data, os
funcionários do Departamento de Estado se limitaram a expressar confiança
no processo democrático no Brasil, sem notar algumas das preocupações muito
óbvias sobre o processo e sobre as medidas tomadas pelo governo interino.
Nós pedimos que Vossa Senhoria se junte a outros países da região e
expresse preocupação em relação a estes acontecimentos recentes, e apoie a
estabilidade, a democracia constitucional e o Estado de Direito no Brasil.

Atenciosamente,

Membros do Congresso dos Estados Unidos da América
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