Brazilian president dismisses human rights minister accused of sexual harassment

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has fired Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida after reports surfaced that he was involved in sexual misconduct, the presidency said in a statement released late Friday.

“The president believes that keeping the minister in office is untenable, given the nature of the accusations,” the statement said.

Local media reported late Thursday that MeToo Brasil, an organization that defends women victims of sexual violence, had received complaints of sexual misconduct by Almeida. The organization confirmed this in a subsequent statement. On Friday evening, a former colleague of Almeida posted a video on social media detailing what she called the acts of “sexual violence” she was subjected to in 2019.

Lula had previously indicated on social media on Friday that the prosecutor’s office, the comptroller general and the presidential ethics commission would investigate the matter, while guaranteeing the accused’s right to defense.

Almeida said in a statement issued Thursday that he “absolutely repudiated the lies” that are being accused of him and denounced a “campaign to tarnish my image as a black man in an important government position.”

The government has asked Comptroller General Vinícius Carvalho and Attorney General Jorge Messias to “provide clarifications.” Lula was scheduled to meet Friday with Almeida and Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco, according to the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper. Local media have reported that Franco is one of the victims who reported Almeida’s conduct, though she has not commented.

Brazilian first lady Rosângela da Silva — known as Janja — is a prominent figure in the defense of women’s rights and on Thursday she posted a photo on her Instagram account in which she appears kissing Franco on the forehead, as a sign of support.

“As often happens in cases of sexual violence involving aggressors in positions of power, victims faced difficulties in obtaining institutional support in order to validate their complaints,” MeToo Brasil said in a statement released Thursday. “As a result, they allowed the case to be confirmed to the press.”

Isabel Rodrigues, a teacher and candidate for city councilor in a municipality in the state of Sao Paulo, posted a video on Instagram on Friday in order to add her testimony to that of the other woman who has not yet been identified. She added that Almeida sexually assaulted her in 2019, putting his hand under her skirt and touching her private parts without her consent.

“What Silvio did was horrible. My therapist knows it. My friends know it. I was a victim of Silvio. I am a voice for these women. For justice and for the truth,” she said.

Almeida previously said that all such reports should be fully investigated and that he would send official letters to the relevant government agencies, including the Ministry of Justice, to facilitate this. He also warned that false accusations are a crime.

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