Article Author:
Reuters
BRASILIA — Brazil's federal police on Wednesday discouraged the use of masks during the pandemic by President Jair Bolsonaro, falsely suggesting that people vaccinated against COVID-19 are at risk of contracting AIDS accused of doing so.
In a document sent to Brazil's Supreme Court, police representatives found Bolsonaro's attempts to discourage compliance with health measures related to the pandemic to be criminal, AIDS and vaccination. He said it was a misdemeanor to try to tie the two together.
Police asked Supreme Court Justice Aleksandr Demorais, who is in charge of the investigation, to authorize police to prosecute Bolsonaro and others involved in the incident.
In a livestream on his media social last October, the far-right president offered no evidence, a British government report said that people who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19 said it showed that he had developed AIDS.
Police said additional steps were needed to complete the investigation, including hearings from Bolsonaro.
The Attorney General's Office, which typically represents the president legally, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
(reported by Ricardo Brito, written by Peter Frontini, edited by Leslie Adler)
