Lula Fires Human Rights Minister Over Harassment Allegations

(Bloomberg) -- Brazil’s Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva fired his minister of human rights after allegations of sexual harassment became an embarrassment for the president, who had made the defense of women’s rights a government priority.

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“The president considers unsustainable the presence of the minister in the job, considering the nature of the allegations of sexual harassment,” his office said in a statement late Friday.

The cases against Minister Silvio Almeida were made public Thursday by the non-governmental organization Me Too Brazil, which supports victims of sexual abuse. In a statement, the NGO said the women had asked to remain anonymous but agreed to publish their allegations after facing difficulties to “validate their complaints.”

Almeida denies any wrongdoing. “I absolutely repudiate all lies that are being said against me,” he said in a statement before being fired.

Lula called for an investigation due to the seriousness of the case.

“I will not allow someone’s personal mistake to harm the government,” he said during a radio interview Friday. “Harassment cannot coexist with democracy and respect for human rights and, above all, respect for subordinates.”

Almeida is an intellectual and lawyer most known for his work on race relations. He worked as a visiting professor at both Duke University and Columbia University, also teaching at renowned Brazilian colleges such as the Getulio Vargas Foundation and the Mackenzie Presbyterian University.

His studies on structural racism, and the resulting mediatic visibility, granted him the appointment to the Ministry of Human Rights in Lula’s third administration. He had been in office since January of 2023.

Lula named Esther Dweck, currently the management minister, to head the human rights ministry on an interim basis, Globo reported, citing a government statement. Dweck will perform both roles for the time being, the newspaper said.

--With assistance from Franco Dantas.

(Updates with new interim human rights minister named in final paragraph.)

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