Olympics :: Organizations call for veto of ‘General Law’
Groups condemn law that restricts demonstrations and limits access to public areas during the Olympic Games
Approved by the Senate in April of this year, the so-called General Law of the Olympics (Bill 02/2016), which establishes rules for holding the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games, represents a serious setback for democracy in Brazil. This is the conclusion of a technical statement released recently by civil organizations explaining the reasons why President Dilma Rousseff should fully veto the bill.
Among other measures, the law would restrict demonstrations in official areas of the Games and limit the right to capture images and audio of the event. It would also ban the use of likenesses of the official symbols by citizens and reserve access to public areas exclusively for authorized personnel, establishing penalties ranging from fines to criminal punishments.
According to the organizations that signed the statement, the prior determination of permitted and prohibited content is a clear restriction on protest and the free expression of ideas and opinions, since “it is known that the occurrence of mega-events in Brazil is not unanimously accepted by the population and the constitutional right to freedom of expression must be guaranteed in any situation. The organizers should not shield themselves from criticism in this way or prevent public space from being used for demonstrations of any nature.”
In condemnation of the possibility that the bill will be signed into law, Conectas, Article 19, Justiça Global and another 19 organizations have called on President Rousseff to fully veto the bill. “At a time when democracy is facing serious assaults, a veto of this bill by the president would send a clear message that the defense of fundamental rights is a priority of her administration,” reads the statement.
- Click here to read the full statement of the organizations.
