Brazil: a young man arrested for "inciting a crime against the life of the president"
The police used the National Security Law to arrest the young man (illustrative image).
© AFP - FRANKLIN FREITAStion).
Text by: RFI Follow
2 min
In Brazil, a youth was detained for "inciting a crime against the life of the president".
On his Twitter account, he had insinuated that a "national hero" had to settle his account with Jair Bolsonaro, during a presidential visit.
What shocks some jurists is that the young man was arrested on the basis of the national security law which dates from the dictatorship.
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With our correspondent in Sao Paulo,
Martin Bernard
Joao da Silva Junior is a 24-year-old Brazilian.
Shortly before President Bolsonaro arrived in his region of Minas Gerais this week, he asked on a social network if there were candidates to "
become a national hero
".
According to the police, this posed a threat to the head of state, and she invoked the National Security Law to arrest him.
The young man, who spent the night in prison, assures us that it was only a "joke".
His lawyer specifies that he has only 150 subscribers to his Twitter account, and that he only addressed his friends.
Several jurists criticize the use of the National Security Law against the young man - a law which dates from the time of the dictatorship, but which is still in force.
Joao da Silva Junior has been released on bail.
He claims to have received threats from supporters of President Bolsonaro.
If found guilty, he faces at least two years in prison.
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Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro
Human rights