Brazilian President, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva had on Friday, dismissed the Human Rights Minister, Silvio Almeida over accusations that he [the minister] was sexually harassing several women, including another cabinet minister.
The president’s office further said in a statement that a police investigation has been opened.
Before his dismissal, Almeida had been an activist for the legal defense of minority rights and had claimed his guiltlessness in a statement after losing his position, claiming that he had asked President Lula to sack him in order to provide “freedom” for the investigations.
Almeida has also tagged the accusations as baseless and “absurd lies” in a video posted earlier on his social media, before his dismissal.
One of the women who was reportedly harassed by Almeida is the Racial Equality Minister, Anielle Franco, according to local media reports.
Both Franco and Almeida have been in the cabinet since Lula’s current term in 2023 began and are viewed as important human rights activists in Brazil.
