A year marked by apologies to dictators

In February, President Jair Bolsonaro paid tribute to the Paraguayan dictator Alfredo Stroessner during a visit to the country (Photo: Alan Santos/PR)

After successive tributes and apologies to dictators over the course of 2019, civil society organizations that form the group Pacto pela Democracia (Pact for Democracy) have issued a joint statement condemning these regrettable episodes and urging that they not be repeated next year.

The statement, signed by 25 organizations besides Conectas, highlights the importance of democracy as a value and a practice in Brazilian society. “Whether right or left, experiences marked by the absence of democratic freedoms, by the breach of the rule of law and by the violation of human rights must be vehemently rejected.”

Read the full statement from the Pact for Democracy here