It seems that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s monstrous talent has amazed Donald Trump, his US counterpart! Various unions and social organisations, representing the Latin American Nation’s more than one million Health Workers, have filed a lawsuit against the President at the International Criminal Court (ICC). They have accused the Bolsonaro Administration of being “criminally negligent in its management of the COVID-19 pandemic, risking the lives of Healthcare Professionals and of Members of the Brazilian society”. The group of unions has requested the ICC to take actions against the Government for committing crimes against humanity over its handling of the Coronavirus pandemic.

It would not be an exaggeration to say that the experience of listening to the grievances of the people against an elected President is a unique experience for the ICC, as well. It is to be noted that Brazil has the world’s highest number of COVID-19 cases and deaths after the US. Like the US President, the Brazilian Strongman has been playing a dangerous Political Game with the safety and security of his countrymen at the time of pandemic, ignoring all the advice. His irresponsible attitude towards the crisis has prompted the group of Unions to move the Court.

Now, what will the outcome of the move be? Although the ICC pays homage to the Dutch city of The Hague, the Court’s role is figurative as that of other International Organisations associated with the UN. A statesman, who can play politics with the lives of his countrymen, will not be ashamed, even if an international organisation takes action against him. Still, the move against him is a significant one due to various reasons…

Firstly, President Bolsonaro is not in a very good situation as far as Brazil’s internal politics is concerned. The powerful Brazilian Army, too, has started maintaining a distance with the President. The intervention by the ICC could boost the Army’s stand!

Secondly, no matter how weak the framework of international surveillance and discipline over a State is, its moral values are undeniable! If there is an option of condemning injustice at the global stage, the option should be used. That is what the Brazilian protesters did. The Global Community realised the significance of this international surveillance after the WWII. However, the nature of the International Court’s actions is still not quite effective. So, a discussion on this particular issue is necessary in the current circumstances.

Finally, this initiative has revealed a harsh fact: the Brazilians do not trust their Judicial System because of various reasons. The Brazilians do not have much trust on the country’s judiciary. Moreover, many officials of the former Brazilian Government have been jailed for their involvement in corruption in the last few years. Now, they cannot contest elections. There are corrupt politicians in each and every country. However, if the politicians of a particular camp are punished selectively, then people doubt the impartiality of the Judiciary. Again, when the Politics influences the Judiciary, people fail to get Justice.

In the contemporary world, Democratic Governments are trying to rebuild their structure with the help of the Army and the Judiciary in different countries. This attempt to change the system damages Democracy. So, the Brazilians are knocking the door of the ICC. They have realised that an impartial Judicial System could only protect Democracy… anywhere in this world!

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Published by Koushik Das

Koushik Das (born on May 16, 1976 in Kolkata) is a career journalist. Based in the Indian capital of New Delhi, Koushik writes mainly about foreign policies and current geopolitical issues, and rarely about other topics. His own political ideas are highly influenced by Antonio Gramsci, Louis Althusser, Michel Foucault, Michael Oakeshott and others. English philosopher and political theorist Oakeshott (Dec 11, 1901-Dec 19, 1990) says that “in political activity, men sail a boundless and bottomless sea. There is neither harbour for shelter nor floor for anchorage, neither starting-place, nor appointed destination. But we have to keep afloat”. (Rationalism in Politics, 1962) As a student of Political Science, Koushik loves to share his views on issues, which have great impacts on his thought process (and also on India, South Asia and of course on the global community), with his readers through his website – Boundless Ocean of Politics. By doing so, he tries to keep himself afloat. You will find some of his articles in https://inserbia.info/today/ (https://inserbia.info/today/author/kou_das13_i/), as he has been trying to assess the global geopolitics since 2003. You can also mail him at kousdas@gmail.com View all posts by Koushik Das