Open Letter to President Jair Messias Bolsonaro

· Notas Públicas

To Mr. President Jair M. Bolsonaro,

It is a harmful practice to ascribe to others the responsibility for events for which you are actually responsible. The undersigned organizations are deeply concerned with the fallacious and very serious statement made by you on the 21th of August, implying without any evidence that non-governmental organizations could be responsible for the ongoing burning in the Amazon as way of denouncing your government internationally.

As the President of Brazil, your responsibilities include the conservation of an ecologically balanced environment, according to our Constitution.

This specific accusation is already an unacceptable outrage in itself - but what makes the situation even worse is that this is not an isolated case. You have frequently highlighted your will to eradicate all activism activity in Brazil, as well as declared, without any evidence, that NGOs in Brazil have illegitimate practices.

It is outrageous to see that institutions which dedicate themselves fully and selflessly to social causes are attacked and unfairly accused of being responsible for the harms that they actually work hard to exterminate. Unfortunately, doing this brave job in Brazil often brings a risk to the lives of those who work for a more just and humane country that respects its environment and its freedom.

NGOs should be considered government allies in many key agendas for building a prosperous, dignified and developed society. We therefore reinforce that if there is genuine aspiration and concrete action to defend the public interest and to tackle illegal practices, the government must respect, value and seek to collaborate with organized civil society. We are able and willing to join efforts to work for Brazil.

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