RIO DE JANEIRO (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th April, 2020) A Brazilian legal association filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court on Friday, in which it accused President Jair Bolsonaro of mishandling the health crisis.
The pro-business president has repeatedly dismissed the World Health Organization's advice to enforce social distancing to slow down the pandemic, saying doing this would collapse the economy.
The Brazilian Association of Jurists for Democracy argued that he "at every turn fanned the flames of the pandemic by spreading propaganda" in an effort to downplay the gravity of the crisis.
"In so doing, he has knowingly and intentionally placed countless human lives at enormous risk of illness and death," the organization said.
His approach to the epidemic in the country has been condemned by multiple health agencies, prompting main opposition parties to call for his removal from office.
Brazil has so far recorded 7,910 confirmed coronavirus cases, with 299 people dying from virus-related complications. The global infection tally passed 1 million on Thursday, with more than 50,000 deaths being recorded by Johns Hopkins University.
