Chief justice: Top Court not to tolerate threats against its autonomy
Brazil’s Supreme Court chief Justice Luiz Fux said that the Court will not tolerate threats against its autonomy and the fulfillment of its decisions. The statements were made Wednesday (Sep. 8) in response to the remarks uttered by President Jair Bolsonaro during the demonstrations staged on September 7, when Brazil celebrates its independence.
Early in the plenary session, Fux read the address in which he declared that the institutional criticism on the Court’s work must not be confused with “narratives aimed at discrediting the Supreme Court and its members, as those that have been made widespread by the head of the nation.”
“To offend the honor of justices, to incite the people to spread hate speech against the institution represented by the Supreme Court, and to encourage the non-fulfillment of Court rulings are anti-democratic practices, illicit and intolerable, considering the constitutional oath we swore when we took office in this Court,” he stated.
Fux also declared that the Court will not tolerate threats to disregard its decisions.
“The Supreme Court will also not tolerate threats against the authority of its rulings. If contempt of court decisions comes by initiative of the head of any of the branches, this attitude, in addition to representing an attack on democracy, is an impeachable offense, and should be considered by the National Congress,” he warned.
The chief justice also mentioned that the protests were carried out peacefully and praised the security forces for maintaining order.
“From the north to the south, we noticed that the police and the other agents were aware in their work that democracy is important not just to them, but also to their children, who will grow under the institutional normality their parents helped preserve,” he said.
