Conclusions of the Brazilian delegation in Washington in defense of democracy in Brazil
Press release WBO 30th July 2022
The Brazilian delegation arrives at the Capitol for a series of meetings with deputies and senators. Credit: Maria Magdalena Arréllaga/WBO
On Capitol Hill, senators and deputies defend respect for democracy and Brazilian elections as an object of international interest
A Brazilian delegation of 19 civil society organizations was received at the Department of State and the US Congress
US Representatives and Senators who, in the US government system, formally play an important role in defining their own country's foreign policy and in relations with Brazil, reaffirmed their interest in the integrity of the electoral process and in respecting the outcome of the Brazilian presidential election, in October, whoever the winner is. The speeches were a response to the delegation formed by 19 representatives of Brazilian civil society organizations who, between July 24 and 29, were received at the Capitol, at the US State Department and at the headquarters of several local civil society organizations, in Washington, with two orders:
That American interlocutors inform themselves about the situation in Brazil, where the President of the Republic, Jair Bolsonaro, calls into question the electoral system and the results of the polls, attacking the independence of the Powers, through actions directed against the Justice Electoral Court and the Federal Supreme Court; and
That these same American interlocutors make declarations, within their areas of action and influence, recognizing the reliability of the Brazilian electoral system and the validity of the election result, whoever the winner is, in October 2022.
The unanimous positive response of the American interlocutors – expressed publicly, as in the case of Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Jami Raskin, and in a reserved manner, in other cases – was that the democratic stability of Brazil is a matter of international relevance and will be addressed as such.
Members of the Brazilian delegation are received by Congressman Jamie Raskin, a member of the commission investigating the 6th January 6. Credit: Maria Magdalena Arréllaga/WBO
The statements made by the Brazilian delegation are in addition to previous statements by US government officials, the most recent example of which is the US Secretary of Defense, Lloyd J. Austin III, who, on Thursday (27), at the Conference of Ministers Defense of the Americas, in Brasília, had already defended the “firm civilian control of the military” and the “proper role of the Army’s role in democratic society”, contrasting with Bolsonaro’s insistence on involving the Brazilian Armed Forces in his baseless accusations against the electoral system.
Before that, on July 18, the US Embassy in Brasília had already released a statement in which it stated that the elections in Brazil are a “model” for the world. The demonstration came a day after Bolsonaro gathered members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Brasilia to present unfounded criticism of the country's electronic voting machines and Electoral Justice.
In Washington, Brazilian organizations were received by authorities who delivered similar messages and were asked to maintain this position and consider redoubling their attention in the event that attacks on the electoral system continue or worsen as the date of the election in Brazil approaches.
This action by the Brazilian delegation in the US is part of broader efforts being made in various parts of the world to make known the attacks that democracy in Brazil has been suffering and the actions of local organizations, the press and the Judiciary to contain these undemocratic actions.
The presence of international election observers in Brazil in October is an example of this containment of unfounded attacks. Interlocution with relevant actors in US politics is another example, which takes into account the influential role that the US has around the world and particularly in relation to Brazil. In addition, American interlocutors were especially sensitive to the issue, given the recent memory of the attacks on democracy perpetrated by the now exPresident Donald Trump, when he called into question the US electoral system and acted to prevent the awarding of the winner, the current president, Joe Biden, in 2020/2021, instigating the violent invasion of the Capitol, headquarter of the US Congress.
“What I heard [from the delegation] unfortunately sounds all too familiar to me because of the efforts of [Donald] Trump and his friends to undermine American democracy. I'm not surprised that Bolsonaro is trying to do the same in Brazil. We very much hope that the result of the [Brazilian] elections will be recognized and respected, and that democracy will indeed prevail in Brazil”
Bernie Sanders, Democrat senator for the state of Vermont
Between July 24th and 29th, the Brazilian delegation was received by the US Department of State, in a meeting lasting more than one hour, of a private nature; by advisors to representatives of the House Foreign Relations Committee, on Capitol Hill; by Representatives Jamie Raskin (Maryland, member of the commission investigating 6/1), Hank Johnson (Georgia), Mark Takano (California) and Sheila Cherfilus McCormick (Florida), by aides to Senators Patrick Leahy (Vermont, president of the Senate) and Ben Cardin (Maryland); and personally by Senator Bernie Sanders, as well as ambassadors from member countries of the OAS (Organization of American States), the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) and local civil society organizations.
Many of the meetings were private, off the record, at the request of the hosts, as in the case of meetings at the US State Department and with ambassadors from OAS member countries. Others, however, were marked by spontaneous statements.
“This delegation reflects the converging struggles taking place in Brazil today: struggles for environmental, economic, social and racial justice fought by activists under constant attack by Jair Bolsonaro. Given the Amazon's unique role in our global ecosystem, what happens in Brazil will have a disproportionate impact across the world. Representatives committed to protecting the environment and advancing human rights – especially those who come from neighborhoods like mine, which have a rich history of labor organization – have a responsibility to stand in solidarity with Brazilian workers’ movements and other social movements that fight to preserve the country's democracy and ensure a future of rights, dignity and respect for all”
Susan Wild, Democrat Representative for the State of Pennsylvania
“I advised the delegation to continue talking about what is happening and to continue educating people about what is happening in the world, with the intention of creating a coalition that is as broad as possible to defend democratic institutions in Brazil. For me, this meeting was very educational and made it clear that the democratic forces in Brazil fear that something similar to what happened on January 6, 2021 in the US will be repeated in their own country. That is why they are in contact with political parties, movements and citizens from all over the world to join them in defense of constitutional democracy and elections.”
Jamie Raskin, Democrat representative for the State of Maryland
Dialogues with the IACHR and civil society
In addition to meetings with the Department of State, the IACHR-OAS and parliamentarians, the delegation was also received by 15 US-based academic and civil society organizations, such as the largest US trade union, the AFL-CIO (American Federation of Labor– Congress of Industrial Organizations).
“It is very important that we have met with civil society organizations to make sure that we stand together, shoulder to shoulder, to fight for our democracies – democracy in our places of work, democracy in our countries, which are interconnected. I am proud of our alliance with the Brazilian trade union movement and civil society organizations because we know that these movements are on the front lines, building democracy and protecting democracy in Brazil, the US and around the world”
Cathy Feingold, Director of the International Department at the AFL-CIO
The meeting at the IACHR was private. A few hours after the meeting, the Commission published a press release urging Brazil to “prevent violence, guaranteeing protection and security measures in the electoral context, as well as carrying out investigations relevant to these facts”. The note cites facts that were reported to the IACHR by the Brazilian delegation, such as the murder of PT member Marcelo Aloízio de Arruda by the Bolsonarista militant José da Rocha Garanho, in Foz do Iguaçu, on July 9, in addition to attacks with drones and homemade bombs in politcals acts of the Workers’ Party.
The document also says that “although the Inter-American Commission highlights the strength of democratic institutions and the rule of law in Brazil, it urges the country’s high authorities and all political leaders not to make statements that may promote intolerance, discrimination, deliberate disinformation or hatred".
The Brazilian delegation's trip was organized by the WBO (Washington Brazil Office), in partnership with WOLA (Washington Office On Latin America), the Atlantic Council, CEPR (Center for Economic and Policy Research), Amazon Watch and Action for Democracy.
The WBO is an independent and non-partisan think tank that specializes in promoting cooperation and knowledge about the Brazilian reality and offering support to the international work of civil society, social movements and other sectors of Brazil in Washington, in defense of democracy, human rights, the environment and freedoms.
Final statement from the delegation
“We, from the delegation of representatives of 19 Brazilian civil society organizations, who were in Washington, between July 24 and 29, 2022, to discuss the attacks on democracy in Brazil in the US, consider that the trip achieved the objective of informing some of the most prominent and influential actors in American politics about the delicate moment that Brazilian democracy is going through.
In over 20 meetings held over these five days, we were received with deference and listened to with genuine attention from all the relevant actors we sought to find. We could see that today, in the US – as we are certain there are in other parts of the world as well – special attention is paid to the political moment that Brazil is going through.
We were able to understand that the course of a country of continental dimensions, with a population of more than 212 million inhabitants, reserve of an environmental and cultural heritage of global importance, which occupies a prominent place in the world economy, is a subject that has implications that overflow our borders. The Brazilian election is undoubtedly, above all, a Brazilian matter – and this message was reinforced by the delegation and corroborated by the American interlocutors themselves, in Washington – but the solidity of Brazilian democracy, respect for human rights and individual freedoms, the rule of law and the environment, Indigenous people and the Black population, are matters that concern the very idea of humanity and, as such, attract legitimate attention and concern in a world of interconnected and interdependent relationships. Informing these interlocutors about the Brazilian reality was, therefore, one of the priorities of the delegation.
From the Capitol to the Department of State, from the IACHR (Inter-American Commission on Human Rights) to the television studios in Washington, passing through the headquarters of local social and union organizations, the delegation always found an interested welcome and a solidary look at the moment that Brazil is crossing. In all these meetings, the delegation exhaustively repeated two messages: inform yourself about the ongoing attacks against the Brazilian electoral system and quickly recognize the result that comes out of the polls in October, whoever the winner is, to reinforce the voice of the international community and, as a result, make it impossible to implement the coup threats that have been publicly made over the last few years.
At all times, we find attentive and concerned listening. At various times, we immediately received public demonstrations in support of Brazilian democracy, as in the cases of the statements of Senator Bernie Sanders and Deputy Jamie Raskin, whose words achieved great public repercussion in Brazil.
We returned to Brazil with the certainty that our efforts helped to better inform the international community – in this specific case, the USA, whose government, through several of its bodies, has already publicly positioned itself in defense of democracy in Brazil –, and we believe that the existence of this diverse and united Brazilian delegation played a fundamental role in the challenge of preserving, protecting and improving Brazilian democracy.”
Organizations that make up the delegation, in alphabetical order:
ABGLT (Associação Brasileira de Lésbicas, Gays, Bissexuais, Travestis, Transexuais e Intersexos)
APIB (Articulação dos Povos Indígenas do Brasil)
Artigo 19
Comissão Arns
CONAQ (Coordenação Nacional de Articulação das Comunidades Negras Rurais Quilombolas)
Conectas Direitos Humanos
Geledés – Instituto da Mulher Negra
Greenpeace Brasil
Grupo Prerrogativas
Instituto Clima e Sociedade
Instituto Marielle Franco
Instituto de Referência Negra Peregum
Instituto Vladimir Herzog
Pacto pela Democracia
Transparência Internacional Brasil
Uneafro
Voz das Comunidades
342 Artes/342 Amazonia
NAVE
Washington Brazil Office
