The document the group sent to the court includes 33 actions and comments from Bolsonaro, said Eloísa Machado de Almeida, a law professor at the Fundacao Getulio Vargas university in Sao Paulo, who presented the details of the request. Experts say The Hague-based International Criminal Court receives thousands of similar communications each year. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has argued that environmental protections often become an obstacle to economic development in Brazil. “It’s true that there have been environmental challenges for centuries in this country, but what is happening under President Bolsonaro is different,” argued de Almeida, the law professor. “The dismantling of public (environmental protection) policies, and the direct attack on indigenous peoples did not exist under previous administrations.

Source: Washington Post November 30, 2019 00:22 UTC