intention to deceive” the public about COVID-19, or information about the government’s measures to control the spread of the virus. Several people were believed to have been charged either under the Emergency Powers Act or the Penal Code for expressing their opinions. For example, Justice Motlhabane, the spokesperson for the Botswana Patriotic Front, an opposition party, was arrested by police on 16 April for “degrading and maligning the leadership” after he was accused of suggesting on Facebook that the President would prolong the state of emergency to “deal with his political rivals and business competitors”. Justice Motlhabane told journalists that he was tortured by being electrocuted while in police custody on this and several other occasions.
Journalists On 18 June, journalists David Baaitse and Kenneth Mosekiemang were arrested by intelligence agents after they photographed a building linked to the Directorate of Intelligence and Security, the domestic and international intelligence agency. After spending a night in custody, they were released and charged with “common nuisance”, which, under the Penal Code, carries a fine of up to BWP5,000 (US$432) or up to two years’ imprisonment.
DEATH PENALTY Botswana continued to impose death sentences and carried out executions by hanging for crimes including murder. It was the only state in Southern Africa to carry out executions.
BRAZIL Federative Republic of Brazil Head of state and government: Jair Messias Bolsonaro
Anti-human rights rhetoric continued to escalate, increasing the risks to human rights defenders. The shrinking of civic
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space fomented by an official narrative that stigmatized NGOs, journalists, activists, human rights defenders and social movements continued. Obstacles to freedom of expression and attempts to restrict this right impacted the work of journalists and media workers. Attacks and killings of human rights defenders, members of Indigenous Peoples, Quilombola communities and environmental defenders remained chronic problems. Protection of natural resources and traditional territories was neglected as government structures to protect Indigenous Peoples and the environment were further dismantled and weakened. Violence against women increased in the context of measures introduced to curb the spread of COVID-19. The pandemic exposed deepseated inequalities in Brazilian society, impacting communities that face discrimination disproportionately. The President’s ongoing denial of the gravity of the COVID-19 pandemic only exacerbated the situation.
BACKGROUND On 31 March a group of people gathered in front of the army´s headquarters in Brasília, the capital, to commemorate the 1964 coup, which led to a 21-year-long military government. The demonstration was attended by President Bolsonaro, who referred to the date as “the day of liberty”. According to Brazil’s National Truth Commission, under the military regime hundreds of people were systematically tortured, disappeared and extrajudicially executed. Mainly due to the interpretation given to the 1979 Amnesty Law, impunity continued to prevail for crimes under international law and human rights violations committed during the military government (1964-1985).
RIGHT TO HEALTH The COVID-19 pandemic hit Brazil powerfully, deepening existing historic, structural and persistent inequalities and exacerbating the economic, political, and
Amnesty International Report 2020/21
