Brazil's Lula sacks human rights minister Silvio Almeida over sexual harassment allegations – Firstpost

Brazil's President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has fired one of his most popular cabinet ministers, Silvio Almeida, after he was accused of sexually harassing at least two women. Human Rights Minister Almeida denied the allegations against him and was also accused of harassing Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco.

Following the announcement, Franco thanked the Brazilian president for his “decisive action” on the matter. However, the whole scandal was a serious blow to the Lula government and the black rights movement in the country. Both Almeida and Franco were among the leading voices in Brazil's fight against racism.

Both have also been the main target of attacks by supporters of the far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro since Lula's government began in January 2023. On Friday, Lula issued a statement dismissing his highly trusted minister.

“In view of the serious allegations against Minister Silvio Almeida and after we invited him for a meeting… [I] decided to release him,” the Brazilian president said in a statement. “The federal government reiterates its commitment to human rights and reiterates that no form of violence against women will be tolerated,” the statement concluded, also reiterating that the federal police are investigating the case,” he added.

The scandal

The case came to light on Thursday when Brazilian news channel Metropolises reported that Almeida had been reported to Me Too Brasil, an organization that defends female victims of sexual violence, “for alleged cases of sexual harassment against women.” Although the report did not specify the exact number of victims, Franco's name was on the list.

Another news channel called UOL also reported that Almeida also faces allegations of harassing ministry employees. Metrópoles detailed Almeida's alleged harassment of Franco, reporting that it involved “touching her legs,” “inappropriate kisses as a greeting,” and the use of “vulgar expressions with sexual content.”

The report states that all incidents are believed to have occurred over the past year and were reported to other ministers and First Lady Rosângela da Silva, but no action has been taken on the matter.

Me Too Brasil issued a statement on Thursday confirming that the organization had received complaints against Almeida. However, neither the number of complaints nor the names of the people involved were disclosed. “The victims had difficulty obtaining institutional support to validate their accusations,” the organization said. Meanwhile, Almeida quickly posted a video on his social media the same day, declaring: “I want to vehemently reject… the lies and falsehoods that are being made against me.”

“It is obvious that this is a very well-orchestrated campaign to damage my image as a black man, as a human rights activist and as a person in a prominent public position,” he claimed. The human rights minister also used his ministry's official social media accounts to attack Me Too Brasil, claiming that the organization's modus operandi often included “anonymous, unfounded and baseless accusations.”

Franco thanks Lula

Shortly after the announcement, Fraco wrote on Instagram that it was “not acceptable to trivialize or downplay acts of violence.” She added: “Attempts to blame, discredit, coerce or pressure victims to speak in moments of pain and vulnerability are also inappropriate, as they only perpetuate the vicious cycle of violence.”

Since the allegations became known, several Brazilian black rights organizations have expressed their dismay. The Black Coalition for Rights, a coalition of around 300 organizations and institutions of the black movement, published a “statement of solidarity with Minister Anielle Franco and other female victims” with the hashtag #AnielleNãoEstáSó (Anielle is not alone).

Although Almeida was not named in the statement, the group called for a “thorough investigation into the facts, with those responsible and those who failed to act in the face of these extremely serious allegations held accountable.”

With inputs from agencies.