• Urgent Action

Urgent Action: VOTE ON URGENT TREATMENT OF SECURITY BILL (Brazil: UA 40.21)

April 13, 2021

Any day from April 14, 2021 on the National Congress could vote a requirement to process the bill nº 6.764/2002 on National Security Issues as an urgent matter and without public consultation while Brazil faces its worst moment of COVID-19 pandemic with more than 350,000 registered deaths. This bill proposal, based on the former national security doctrine from the military dictatorship, has the potential to threaten human rights. We demand a public consultation, analysis and public debate around the impacts deriving from this bill.

TAKE ACTION:
  1. Write a letter in your own words or using the sample below as a guide to one or both government officials listed. You can also email, fax, call or Tweet them.
  2. Click here to let us know the actions you took on Urgent Action 40.21. It’s important to report because we share the total number with the officials we are trying to persuade and the people we are trying to help.
CONTACT INFORMATION
Arthur Lira, President of the Chamber of Deputies National Congress Gabinete 942 – Anexo IV – Brazilia, Distrito Federal – Brazil Email: [email protected]
Ambassador Nestor Forster Jr. Embassy of Brazil 3006 Massachusetts Ave. NW, Washington DC 20008 Phone: 202 238 2700 I Fax: 202 238 2827 Email: [email protected] Twitter: @BrazilinUSA Facebook: @BrazilianEmbassy Instagram: @brazilinusa Salutation: Dear Ambassador
SAMPLE LETTER Dear Mr. Lira I write to express my concern regarding the imminent vote of the Urgency Requirement to process Bill nº 6.764/2002. The legislation proposal aims, among other initiatives, to repeal the National Security Law, enacted during the military dictatorship and widely used to persecute opponents of the regime. However, it reissues and inserts new penalty types that could be used to reinforce the criminalization of social movements and organizations. At this moment of crisis, Brazilian authorities, which include the National Congress, have the obligation to guarantee the right to health and life of its population. This includes taking the necessary measures for the prevention, treatment and control of the pandemic, based on best available scientific evidence and ensuring that all people have access to health care, without discrimination. In particular, authorities are obligated to ensure availability, access, affordability, acceptability, and quality of COVID-19 vaccines, treatments and testing for COVID-19 for all people. This should be done according to the principles of transparency, participation, accountability, equality, and non-discrimination. I appeal that you do not undertake the request for urgent processing Bill nº 6.764/2002. The voting of this legislation on an urgent basis means, in practice, that the human rights organizations, social movements and other parties won’t be able to properly analyze the Bill and participate in its debate. I urge you to ensure that any decision-making processes around legislation with such potential impact on human rights is rooted in transparency and the right to information, involving meaningful and effective participation of interested parties. Sincerely, [YOUR NAME] ADDITIONAL RESOURCES
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