[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 22 (Thursday, February 2, 2023)]
[Senate]
[Page S239]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




SENATE RESOLUTION 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

  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:

                               S. Res. 32

       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, D.C. 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.

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