A trial court indicted Brazil’s far-right former President Jair Bolsonaro for incitement to commit rape, in a case that has been dragging on for several years.
The story begins in 2003, while Mr. Bolsonaro was a congressman. While being interviewed on TV about a high-profile rape case that was dominating headlines in Brazil, left-wing Congresswoman Maria do Rosário interrupted and said that Mr. Bolsonaro encouraged violence.
He then provoked her: “So I’m the rapist, then?” to which she agreed: “Yes, you are.” Mr. Bolsonaro then shot back: “I would never rape you because you don’t deserve it.”
Years later, Mr. Bolsonaro doubled down on his remarks. In late 2014, while speaking from the House floor, he noticed that Ms. Rosário was present and said: “Stay there, Maria do Rosário. A few days ago you called me a rapist” — actually, it was eleven years since the episode, and she did not explicitly use the word “rapist,” but rather agreed to his provocation. He then repeated his words: “And I said I would not rape you because you don’t deserve it.” This declaration led prosecutors to press charges.
Mr. Bolsonaro later made similar comments in an interview to newspaper Zero Hora.
In 2016, the Supreme Court accepted charges of incitation to commit rape against Mr. Bolsonaro, still a congressman, but the lawsuit was suspended during his time as president.
In June, Supreme Court Justice Dias Toffoli handed the lawsuit back to an ordinary trial court, given that Mr. Bolsonaro no longer holds public office.
The decision to accept the charges was made on August 24, by Judge Omar Dantas Lima.
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