A resolution condemning the violent insurrection in Brazil on January 8, 2023, and expressing United States solidarity with the people of Brazil, as well as support for safeguarding Brazil's democratic institutions.

Subjects: International Affairs

Summary:  <p>This resolution states that the Senate supports Brazil's democratic institutions and condemns the violent siege against several Brazilian government institutions on January 8, 2023. The resolution also urges social media and group messaging companies to address how their platforms are used to spread disinformation and misinformation in Brazil. </p>

<html><body><pre>[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 32 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

&lt;DOC&gt;






118th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 32

 Condemning the violent insurrection in Brazil on January 8, 2023, and 
expressing United States solidarity with the people of Brazil, as well 
     as support for safeguarding Brazil's democratic institutions.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 2, 2023

  Mr. Menendez (for himself, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Sanders, Mr. Durbin, Mr. 
  Cardin, Mr. Murphy, Mrs. Shaheen, Mr. Merkley, and Mr. Van Hollen) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                          on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Condemning the violent insurrection in Brazil on January 8, 2023, and 
expressing United States solidarity with the people of Brazil, as well 
     as support for safeguarding Brazil's democratic institutions.

Whereas Brazil is a strategic partner and major non-NATO ally of the United 
        States, and the bilateral relationship, which includes cooperation on 
        economic, environmental, defense, and human rights issues, is predicated 
        on a shared commitment to democratic values, including absolute respect 
        for free and fair elections;
Whereas the people of Brazil voted in the first and second round of general 
        elections on October 2, 2022, and October 30, 2022, respectively, which 
        were unanimously recognized as free and fair electoral processes by 
        independent electoral observers;
Whereas Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva won the second round presidential election on 
        October 30, 2022, receiving 50.9 percent of all votes cast by Brazilians 
        for the presidency and defeating incumbent president Jair Bolsonaro;
Whereas, in accordance with Brazil's constitution, President Luiz Inacio Lula da 
        Silva was sworn into office as the 39th President of Brazil on January 
        1, 2023;
Whereas, prior to Brazil's general elections, former president Jair Bolsonaro 
        repeatedly made false and unfounded accusations questioning the 
        transparency and integrity of the country's electoral processes, 
        publicly attacked the impartiality of Brazil's Supreme Court and Supreme 
        Electoral Tribunal, and encouraged his supporters to amplify these 
        baseless claims;
Whereas, on July 6, 2022, the then-head of Brazil's Supreme Electoral Tribunal 
        warned while in Washington, DC, that former president Jair Bolsonaro's 
        undemocratic rhetoric and baseless allegations of electoral fraud 
        exacerbated the risk of Brazil experiencing political unrest as or more 
        severe than the United States Capitol insurrection on January 6, 2021;
Whereas, in the aftermath of Brazil's general elections, former president Jair 
        Bolsonaro refused to formally concede to President Luiz Inacio Lula da 
        Silva and continued to share voter fraud conspiracies on social media;
Whereas, on January 8, 2023, one week after President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva 
        was inaugurated, supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro engaged 
        in a violent, organized siege of Brazil's presidential palace, Congress, 
        and Supreme Court and called for President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to 
        be removed from office via military or other violent intervention if 
        necessary, marking the worst assault on Brazilian democracy since the 
        country's transition from a military dictatorship in the 1980s;
Whereas, similar to the violent siege against the United States Capitol on 
        January 6, 2021, Brazil's January 8, 2023, insurrection exposed the 
        resiliency and fragility of democracy and the harmful consequences of 
        public officials deliberately spreading electoral disinformation and 
        disregarding the rule of law;
Whereas the heads of Brazil's three branches of government issued a joint 
        statement condemning the ``terrorist acts'' on January 8, 2023, and 
        reaffirming support for Brazil's democracy;
Whereas President Joe Biden swiftly condemned the ``assault on democracy and on 
        the peaceful transfer of power in Brazil'', and committed to fully 
        supporting Brazil's democratic institutions; and
Whereas Brazilian authorities are currently pursuing investigations to ensure 
        all rioters, financiers, and public officials responsible for the events 
        on January 8, 2023, are held accountable, including by examining the 
        role of social media in organizing and amplifying the riots and opening 
        investigations into the actions of former senior officials, including 
        former president Jair Bolsonaro: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses its ongoing solidarity with the people of 
        Brazil and unwavering support for Brazil's democratic 
        institutions in the aftermath of the January 8, 2023, 
        insurrection;
            (2) condemns the violent siege conducted by former 
        Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro's supporters against 
        Brazil's presidential palace, Congress, and Supreme Court that 
        was fueled, in part, by disinformation spread by former 
        president Jair Bolsonaro over several months;
            (3) commends Brazil's electoral institutions for conducting 
        free, fair, and transparent elections on October 2, 2022, and 
        October 30, 2022;
            (4) urges social media and group messaging companies to 
        take concrete steps to address the ways its platforms are used 
        to facilitate disinformation and misinformation in Brazil, and 
        to work with Brazilian authorities to address any role such 
        platforms had in facilitating and amplifying the violent events 
        on January 8, 2023;
            (5) urges the President to expeditiously review all 
        requests from Brazilian authorities related to the 
        investigation into the January 8, 2023, insurrection, including 
        any future extradition requests for former senior Brazilian 
        officials;
            (6) encourages the United States Senate and House of 
        Representatives to support any requests from the Brazilian 
        Congress related to its investigation of the violent siege that 
        occurred on January 8, 2023, including sharing best practices 
        from the investigation conducted by the United States House 
        Select Committee to Investigate the January 6th Attack on the 
        United States Capitol;
            (7) endorses President Biden's invitation of President da 
        Silva to Washington, District of Columbia, to continue United 
        States-Brazil collaboration on a wide-ranging shared agenda; 
        and
            (8) reaffirms its commitment to strengthening the alliance 
        and strategic partnership between the United States and the 
        Government of Brazil on the defense of democracy and human 
        rights and other issues of shared priorities, including defense 
        cooperation, food security, environmental cooperation, and 
        inclusive and sustainable development.
                                 &lt;all&gt;
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