The following letter is written by Mr Kim George Borja Paim, a Brazilian blogger and political commentator.
Mr Kim Paim is a supporter of Brazil’s President, Jair Bolsonaro. In this letter he reports on the persecution he has endured as a result of his support for the Brazilian President.
To understand the ideological nature of the problem, some context is important.
Bolsonaro’s electoral motto was “Brazil Above Everything, God Above Everyone.” This combination of a belief in national sovereignty and recognition of God is what particularly angers the Brazilian Left, and motivates such a ferocious campaign against him and his more vocal supporters, including Mr Paim.
Bolsonaro’s electoral campaign promised to reduce the size of the notoriously inefficient government via a properly conducted privatisation program, and reduce taxes in a country where, day after day, the press is full of reports on cases of corruption involving bureaucrats and politicians.
Of course, all these things are not appreciated by the country’s political oligarchy who also control the mainstream media. These oligarchs are upholding arbitrary rules and draconian measures supposedly to fight the so-called “pandemic”, when they ultimately constitute a political manoeuvre aimed at the destabilisation of the federal government.
President Bolsonaro argues that these arbitrary rules and lockdown measures imposed at state and municipal levels are seriously damaging the national economy. He thinks they should be eased and he is also concerned about the social consequences of the lockdown, in particular to the poor and more disadvantaged.
There is no doubt in my opinion that the President’s doubts, concerns and questions about such “pandemic” have been entirely justified. These arbitrary state and local measures, which are fiercely opposed by the Brazilian President, have resulted in gross violation of constitutional rights and destruction of many businesses and jobs. They will probably lead to far more deaths from mental health problems, depression and suicide in the long run than from the virus itself.
I am therefore more than happy to confirm the veracity of the facts as reported by Mr Paim in the following letter.
Professor Augusto Zimmermann PhD, LLB, LLM
President, The Western Australian Legal Theory Association
Professor and Head of Law, Sheridan College (Perth/WA)
Professor of Law (Adjunct), The University of Notre Dame Australia (Sydney/NSW)
Commissioner, Law Reform Commissioner, WA (2012-2017)
WHY I HAVE BECOME A VICTIM OF POLITICAL PERSECUTION IN BRAZIL
My name is Kim George Borja Paim and I am writing this statement to report concerns about my security. I am a Brazilian blogger and a supporter of the President of Brazil.
I have been harassed repeatedly times due to my political opinions. Right now there is one particular person, Carlos Augusto de Moraes Afonso, aka. Luciano Ayan, who is threatening to use his influence among Brazilian politicians to further persecute me.
Mr Afonso is well known in Brazil as a man who takes delight in spreading fake news. He has developed a method of disinformation that he personally describes as “political war”.
In an interview to one of the country’s most influential newspapers (O Globo – https://oglobo.globo.com/rio/dono-de-site-que-amplificou-noticias-falsas-sobre-marielle-revela-identidade-diz-que-atua-para-guerra-politica-22523688) Mr Afonso candidly confesses to be engaged in a “political war”. The country’s mainstream media also reports that he was the ‘champion’ of spreading fake news about the terrible predicament of a councilwoman called Marielle Franco.
Ms Franco was affiliated to PSOL (Socialist and Freedom Party). She was shot dead while she was in her car. Mr Afonso didn’t respect her death and created fake news concerning tit. Some people suspect that he had done it for money and popularity. Indeed, Mr Afonso said to UOL’s newsmedia (https://noticias.uol.com.br/politica/ultimas-noticias/2019/11/11/mbl-fake-news-difamacao-ex-colaboradores-luciano-avan-roger-scar.htm) that he has made “a lot of money” with his websites which are focused on such “fake news”.
To explain what he is planning to do against me, first I need to explain what is happening in the Brazilian political scenario.
After many years of deeply corrupt leftist rule, Brazilians have finally elected a conservative President. The media and opposition parties have been reluctant to accept the outcome of the election. Since day one they have done everything at their disposal to overthrow him.
Since middle of last year, the opposition has even created a CPMI (mixed parliamentary commission of inquiry) in order to not only discredit his government but also hunting down and criminalizing anyone who dares to more openly support the Brazilian President and his political ideas.
Mr Afonso claims to exercise extraordinary powers over this particular commission. He has been assisting federal MPs by providing them with names and reports of people who may be deemed worthy of suffering such persecution. He has more than once promised to produce a full report concerning myself, once by means of personal twitter and another in a live interview with a “Youtuber” called Hícaro Teixeira. There not only he insults me but also threatens to report of me and even to “hurt” me.
In an interview to a newspaper called DCM (https://www.diariodocentrodomundo.com.br/gabinete-do-odio-o-que-esta-por-tras-do-power-point-apresentado-por-joice-hasselmann-na-cpi-por-pedro-zambarda/), Mr Afonso discloses that he is assisting a controversial federal MP, Alexandre Frota, to create reports and documents which may assist in hunting all the supporters of the Brazilian President.
What is the problem with such a parliamentary inquiry? The answer is rather simple: The inquiry is being used as the basis for an investigation that is both arbitrary and unconstitutional. This inquiry is being carried out by a deeply controversial judge of the Supreme Federal Court, Mr Alexandre de Moraes.
Both the former and the current federal Attorney-General have already requested for the inquiry to be immediately suspended. Likewise, hundreds of jurists have already explained the constitutional invalidity of this parliamentary inquiry. Gazeta do Povo is one Brazilian newspaper that has reported the several reasons for the unconstitutionally of such investigation (https://www.gazetadopovo.com.br/instituto-politeia/inquerito-toffoli-ilegal/)
Jornal GGN, another Brazilian newspaper, reveals that complaints were made by former Attorney-General Raquel Dodge, concerning the unconstitutionality of the investigation. She personally filed a writ of unconstitutionality before Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (“STF”) but her request was not accepted. (https://jornalggn.com.br/justica/para-validar-investigacoes-stf-desmembra-inquerito-de-fake-news-mas-mpf-manda-arquivar/)
O Tempo, another Brazilian newspaper, reports on the various complaints made by the Federal Police about anomalies created by this inquiry, including the Federal Police’s approach to these matters and how a team of police investigators has been established. (https://www.otempo.com.br/politica/delegados-da-pf-apontam-anomalia-no-inquerito-das-fake-news-contra-o-stf-1.2169100)
Caroline de Toni, a federal MP, has listed at least 11 irregularities in the whole inquiry. (https://twitter.com/CarolDeToni/status/1265691853816561664). So far more than 28 people have been visited by the police at their homes. The police went with search and seizure warrants, but none of the defendants has so far had a right to know the reasons as to why they have been approached. All of these individuals and their lawyers have been deprived of accessing the case file.
Even the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB) has filed a request to the Federal Supreme Court, asking the court to allow defendants have access to the case file. So far everyone no information has been provided, which undoubtedly leads to the suspicion that we are facing a serious situation of political persecution.
It is in this context that Mr Afonso has now been threatening to persecute me. He has become notorious for sparing no effort in attacking his political targets and their family members.
In the latest case of seizure, STF judge Alexandre de Moraes stated that his decision was based on the statements of federal MPs Alexandre Frota and Joyce Hasselman, to substantiate the names which are added to the investigation.
As Mr Afonso himself stated in an article published by DCM, he is assisting federal MPs Frota and Hasselman to accomplish their tasks. There is little doubt that he will use his political influence to add my name to the investigation, or even to attack my family.
Unfortunately, Mr Afonso’s participation does not end there. Although he is also a defendant in this parliamentary inquiry (CPMI), nothing will ever happen to him and even an official request has been made to him for his contribution to such unconstitutional inquiry (252/2019 – http://legis.senado.leg.br/sdleg-getter/documento/download/73391917-50d2-48bf-8918-d39c9a7037b8). The invitation was made by the committee’s rapporteur, Ms Lídice da Mata. This congresswoman attended an event called “Redes Cordiais” where Mr Afonso was also present. The event was aimed at discussing further measures for the governmental regulation of the social media/internet.
Mr Afonso has also participated in Live conversations with the chairman of the parliamentary inquiry (CPMI), Senator Ângelo Coronel. After one such conversation, another federal MP, Eduardo Bolsonaro, filed a writ of mandamus against Senator Coronal, demanding his replacement as the chairman of the inquiry on the grounds of ‘bias’ and ‘unreliability’, since Mr Afonso is also a defendant in the inquiry.
So the final question: What did I do to have Mr Afonso viciously chase me?
The answer is quite simple: I dared to support the Brazilian President and report these stories in the videos which I have uploaded on YouTube.
In an attempt to shut me up and persecute me politically, Mr Afonso is determined to go all the way and use not only anti-government politicians, but also notorious judges of the Supreme Court.
I hereby request your assistance on this matter.
Mr Kim George Borja Paim