Attorney General's Office requested the Supreme Court open an investigation against the Minister of Education, Abraham Weintraub, on suspicion of a crime of racism for his social media post about China and the coronavirus.
The deputy attorney general of the Republic, Humberto Jacques de Medeiros, filed the request based on complaints filed against Weintraub by PSOL and by an ordinary citizen. Minister Celso de Mello is the rapporteur of the case at the supreme level.
The deputy attorney general saw evidence of racism in the message and calls for an investigation to be opened so that the minister can take steps and explain.
This is the first criminal investigation by the administration of the Attorney General, Augusto Aras, against a member of the Jair Bolsonaro government. Folha requested a comment from the Ministry of Education, but it did not receive a response.
Practicing, inducing, or inciting discrimination or prejudice based on race, color, ethnicity, religion, or national origin, as was the case, is subject to a penalty of 1 to 3 years in prison and a fine. The legislation also describes how aggravating the practice of crime through the media and, therefore, the penalty can vary from 2 years to 5 years.
In a post on a social network on the 4th, the minister used the character Cebolinha, from Turma da Mônica, to make fun of China and associate the coronavirus pandemic with interests in the Asian country.
In the message, he changed the letter "r" to "l," as well as the creation of Mauricio de Sousa, ridiculing the accent of many Chinese when speaking Portuguese.
Translated by Kiratiana Freelon