Brazil’s President Jair Bolsonaro is standing for re-election on October 30. It is still uncertain whether opposing candidate Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will be able to prevail in the second round of voting. From the perspective of human rights organizations, Brazil has experienced devastating setbacks under Bolsonaro. The partner organizations of terre des hommes schweiz, which are committed to preventing violence in Brazil, are therefore looking forward to election day with great concern.
Bolsonaro is pursuing a fatal policy with regard to gun violence in Brazil: during his time in office, more than 40 decrees have been published that facilitate the purchase of weapons. The number of registered weapons owned by civilians has more than tripled to 1,300,000 during his time in office. There is growing evidence that many of these weapons end up in the hands of criminals. Scientific studies prove this: The easier guns are to access, the more violent crime there is. A recent survey by the Brazilian Forum for Public Security (Fórum Brasileiro de Segurança Pública, FBSP) reveals that more than 6,300 murders could have been prevented without the flexibilization of gun laws.
The fact that Bolsonaro has repealed legal provisions on the marking of weapons and ammunition also plays into the hands of criminals. Marking has so far prevented the misappropriation of weapons and ammunition held by the security forces and, thanks to better traceability, has helped to solve murder cases.
Danger to democracy and human rights
The pro-gun discourse propagated by Bolsonaro has made authoritarian and anti-democratic tendencies socially acceptable. Groups agitating for the right to self-defense propagate anti-democratic positions.
In no other country in the world are so many people killed in police operations as in Brazil. Many of the victims are children and young people from poor neighborhoods. President Bolsonaro’s populist rhetoric encourages the use of lethal force by the police, as excessive police violence is legitimized in inflammatory speeches.
“Business as usual” in the Swiss defense industry
Despite these warning signs, Swiss arms companies continue to do business in Brazil. Even the new War Material Act, which has been in force since May 2022, has not changed this. Although it clearly states that no exports may be made to countries that systematically and seriously violate human rights, according to the recently published export statistics, Seco has approved the export of war material worth a total of CHF 2,804,997 to Brazil, including exports of ammunition worth more than CHF 1 million. The active lobbying of Swiss companies appears to be bearing fruit here: according to reports in the Brazilian press, lobbyists from the Swiss ammunition company Ruag met with the arms control authorities of the Brazilian military three times in 2021.
As the latest figures from Seco show, Seco’s licensing practices are clearly ignoring the latest worrying developments. In a study published in June 2021, terre des hommes schweiz demonstrated how international arms imports contribute to serious human rights violations in Brazil, as the pistols, rifles, armored vehicles and ammunition used in police and military operations in Brazil often come from Swiss and German manufacturers. terre des hommes schweiz is therefore calling for an immediate stop to all arms exports to Brazil. If Switzerland continues to supply weapons, it will be partly responsible for an increase in armed violence and a threat to democracy in Brazil.
Further information: Arms export study 2021
Media contact terre des hommes schweiz: Valerie Wendenburg, valerie.wendenburg@terredeshommes.ch,+41 61 335 91 51
terre des hommes schweiz
terre des hommes schweiz empowers young people in Africa, Latin America and Switzerland. Together with them, the Zewo-certified association fights poverty, violence and discrimination and campaigns for the rights of children and young people and fair North-South relations. The core competence of terre des hommes schweiz is participatory and solution-oriented work with young people.
