RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The statements, made during a live stream on social media in October, prompted Facebook and YouTube to enforce their fake news policies and temporarily ban Bolsonaro from the platforms.
Bolsonaro has frequently cast doubt on the efficacy of vaccines. He is currently under investigation for his handling of the pandemic.
WHAT DID BOLSONARO SAY?
During a live stream on October 24, Bolsonaro claimed that reports “suggest that people who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 are developing acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) much faster than expected.”
Scientists and doctors strongly rejected the claim.
The President, who has refused to be vaccinated, stood by his comments and claimed that he was simply citing a magazine article.
THE INVESTIGATION
On Friday, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said that Bolsonaro “used the modus operandi of mass spreading on social networks,” which calls for further investigation.
Moraes instructed Brazil’s Prosecutor General Augusto Aras to try to determine if the President’s comments are linked to a group of his supporters currently under investigation for large-scale production of fake news.
The group, known in local media as the Hate Cabinet, has spread misinformation throughout the pandemic and has called for a military coup that would give Bolsonaro, a former army captain, unlimited powers to rule the country.
Investigations into the group have led to the arrest of several of the President’s allies, including right-wing Brazilian Labor Party leader Roberto Jefferson.
WHY ELSE IS BOLSONARO UNDER INVESTIGATION?
Bolsonaro has been under heavy pressure in recent months and faced a succession of political crises that have impacted his popularity.
In October, after submitting a 1,289-page report, a special Brazilian Senate inquiry committee recommended indicting the President for 9 crimes, including crimes against humanity, for his response to the pandemic.
Bolsonaro has said he is “guilty of absolutely nothing.”
Brazil’s death toll from Covid-19 is the second highest in the world, behind the United States. More than 615,000 people have died and 22.1 million have been infected with the virus, although the real numbers are feared to be much higher.
In March, as deaths increased, the President told Brazilians to “stop whining” and downplayed the threat of the virus, with the health care system overwhelmed by the crisis.