Human Rights Watch concerned about police checkpoints affecting voting in Brazil

international organization Human Rights Watch (HRW) expressed its concern about the checkpoints that the Federal Highway Police has been imposing and that are affecting the normal course of presidential election from this sunday in Brazil.

These types of operations, which had previously been prohibited by the Superior Electoral Court (TSE)they have paralyzed buses with voters who were going to the polling places, mainly in the northeast of Brazil, stronghold of the opposition leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

LOOK HERE: Brazil Elections 2022: Justice minimizes the electoral impact of police checkpoints on highways

“We are very concerned about the reports of operations by the Federal Highway Police that are supposedly preventing or delaying access to the polling places for voters who use public transport.”said the organization for the defense of human rights in a statement.

HRW He recalled that the electoral authorities had already prohibited on Sunday any police operation that could affect the public transport of voters.

“The authorities must immediately comply with the decisions of the TSE, suspend all operations that may affect the right to vote of Brazilian voters and guarantee that they can exercise it freely and safely.”added HRW in its note.

The Workers’ Party (PT), the formation founded and led by Lula, has already requested the arrest of the director of the Federal Highway Police for obstructing the elections.

The president of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), Alexandre de Moraes, met this Sunday at the agency’s headquarters with the director of the Federal Highway Police, Silvinei Vasques, to demand that he immediately suspend operations.

MORE INFORMATION: Lula’s party calls for the arrest of the director of the Highway Police for obstructing the vote with checkpoints

Lula, who won the first round, is the favorite in the elections this Sunday, with about 54% of the intention to vote, compared to 46% for the current president, the far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who aspires to be re-elected.

On this day, which began at 08:00 local time (11:00 GMT) and will close at 17:00 (20:00 GMT), some 156.4 million voters are called to elect the president and twelve of the 27 governors who also went to the Second round.

Source: EFE

Source: Elcomercio

Ronald Payne

I, Ronald Payne, am a journalist and author who dedicated his life to telling the stories that need to be said. I have over 7 years of experience as a reporter and editor, covering everything from politics to business to crime.