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A6 WORLD NEWS
Monday 16 January 2023
Top Brazil court greenlights probe of Bolsonaro for riot

By DAVID BILLER and sion."
CARLA BRIDI In his decision, which was
Associated Press made public Friday, de
RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — A Moraes said Torres fired
Brazilian Supreme Court subordinates and left the
justice on Friday autho- country before the riot,
rized adding former Presi- an indication that he was
dent Jair Bolsonaro in its deliberately laying the
investigation into who in- groundwork for the unrest.
cited the Jan. 8 riot in the Torres has denied wrong-
nation's capital, as part of doing.
a broader crackdown to Justice Minister Flávio Dino
hold responsible parties to pointed to a document
account. that Brazilian federal police
According to the text of his found upon searching Tor-
ruling, Justice Alexandre res' home: a draft decree
de Moraes granted the re- that would have seized
quest from the prosecutor- control of Brazil's electoral
general's office, which cit- authority and potentially
ed a video that Bolsonaro Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, top, center left, meets with Vice President-elect overturned the election.
Geraldo Alckmin, top center right, Supreme Court President Rosa Weber, top, third from left,
posted on Facebook two Supreme Court Justice Luis Roberto Barroso, second left, and other justices at Planalto Palace in The origin and authenticity
days after the riot. The vid- Brasilia, Brazil, Monday, Jan. 9, 2023, the morning after ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters of the unsigned document
eo claimed President Luiz stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and presidential palace. are unclear, and it remains
Inácio Lula da Silva wasn't Associated Press unknown if Bolsonaro or his
voted into office, but rath- the attacks doesn't mean leftist successor, and some ers to storm the Supreme subordinates took any steps
er was chosen by the Su- he wasn't involved previ- Democratic lawmakers Court, Congress and presi- to implement the measure
preme Court and Brazil's ously in inciting the acts," have urged President Joe dential palace in an at- that would have been un-
electoral authority. said Georges Abboud, a Biden to cancel his visa. tempt to overturn results constitutional, according
Prosecutors in the recently constitutional law profes- Following the justice's deci- of the October election. to analysts and the Brazilian
formed group to combat sor at Sao Paulo's Pontifical sion late Friday, Bolsonaro's Targets include those who academy of electoral and
anti-democratic acts ar- Catholic University. lawyer Frederick Wassef summoned rioters to the political law.
gued earlier Friday that al- Otherwise, Bolsonaro has said in a statement that capital or paid to transport But the document "will fig-
though Bolsonaro posted refrained from comment- the former president "ve- them, and local security ure in the police investiga-
the video after the riot, its ing on the election since his hemently repudiates the personnel who may have tion, because it even more
content was sufficient to Oct. 30 defeat. He repeat- acts of vandalism and de- stood aside to let the may- fully reveals the existence
justify investigating his con- edly stoked doubt about struction" from Jan. 8, but hem occur. of a chain of people re-
duct beforehand. Bolson- the reliability of the elec- blamed supposed "infiltra- Much of the attention thus sponsible for the criminal
aro deleted it the morning tronic voting system in the tors" of the protest — some- far has focused on Ander- events," Dino said, adding
after he first posted it. run-up to the vote, filed a thing his far-right backers son Torres, Bolsonaro's for- that Torres will need to in-
Legal analysts consulted by request afterward to annul have also claimed. mer justice minister, who form police who drafted it.
The Associated Press said millions of ballots cast using The statement also said Bol- became the federal dis- By failing to initiate a probe
investigating Bolsonaro was the machines and never sonaro "never had any re- trict's security chief on Jan. against the document's au-
overdue and justified. conceded. lationship or participation 2, and was in the U.S. on thor or report its existence,
"Bolsonaro's positioning, He has taken up residence with these spontaneous so- the day of the riot. Torres at the very least
in general, is being inves- in an Orlando suburb since cial movements." De Moraes has opened an could be charged with der-
tigated as an incitement leaving Brazil in late De- Brazilian authorities are in- investigation into Torres' ac- eliction of duty, said Mario
method. The fact that the cember and skipping the vestigating who enabled tions, which he character- Sérgio Lima, a political an-
video was published after Jan. 1 swearing-in of his Bolsonaro's radical support- ized as "neglect and collu- alyst at Medley Advisors.q

Pakistan launches anti-polio drive

targeting 44M children

Pakistan and Afghanistan Twenty cases were re- Bill Gates and the World
are the only two countries ported in the tribal North Health Organization, were
in the world where polio Waziristan area last year, effectively contributing to
continues to threaten the though the disease was polio eradication in Paki-
health and well-being of contained among other stan. He gave away ap-
children. Polio affects the children through immuniza- preciation certificates at
nervous system of chil- tion, Sharif said. the launch to frontline polio
dren and ultimately leads Around 44 million children workers and praised their
to paralysis. Prime Minister in 156 districts will be immu- "invaluable sacrifices".
Shahbaz Sharif kicked off nized. This includes 22.54 Pakistan has witnessed
A police officer stands guard while a health worker gives a polio the nationwide drive by million children in Punjab, frequent attacks on polio
vaccine to a child in Peshawar, Pakistan, Dec. 5, 2022. administering polio drops 10.1 million in Sindh and teams and policemen de-
Associated Press to children in the capital, 7.4 million in Khyber Pakh- ployed to protect them.
Islamabad, saying Pakistan tunkhwa provinces. Militants falsely claim that
ISLAMABAD (AP) — Paki- of the year, targeting 44.2 was unfortunately among Sharif said his government vaccination campaigns
stan on Sunday launched million children under the the few countries that still along with other stakehold- are a Western conspiracy
its first anti-polio campaign age of five. suffered from the disease. ers, including U.S. billionaire to sterilize children.q