SAO PAULO (Reuters) – The three commanders of Brazil’s armed forces released a joint statement on Friday in which they said that the solutions to Brazil’s disputes must come from the democratic rule of law, while also affirming the right to peaceful protest.
Their statement came amid concerns about the role of Brazil’s armed forces, which ran a military dictatorship from 1964 to 1985, during this year’s presidential election. Outgoing President Jair Bolsonaro, himself a former army captain, had sought to involve the military in questioning Brazil’s electronic voting system.
Bolsonaro narrowly lost the Oct. 30 vote to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, and although he did not concede, he did not block the handover of power. Some of his supporters, however, have refused to accept the result, and have camped outside military bases across Brazil, asking the military to intervene – a move they have so far not taken.
In the letter, signed by the heads of Brazil’s army, navy and air force, the three commanders wrote that the Brazilian constitution guarantees freedom of expression and the right to peacefully demonstrate.
“The Brazilian constitution established the responsibilities and rights to be observed by all Brazilians and that must be guaranteed by the institutions, especially with regard to the free expression of thought, freedom to protest peacefully, and freedom of movement within the national territory,” they wrote.
“The Armed Forces remain vigilant, alert, and focused on their constitutional role in guaranteeing our sovereignty, order, and progress, always in defense of our people,” they added.
(Reporting by Eduardo Simões; editing by Jonathan Oatis)
