Brazil's Bolsonaro urges quick passage of bill to protect police
Source: Reuters
WORLD NEWS JANUARY 4, 2019 / 5:33 AM / UPDATED 2 HOURS AGO
Brazil's Bolsonaro urges quick passage of bill to protect police
Carolina Mandl, Gabriel Stargardter
3 MIN READ
SAO PAULO/RIO DE JANEIRO (Reuters) - Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro on Friday continued to set out priorities for his new administration, stressing his desire for the quick passage of a bill to protect security officials and measures to open up competition in the banking sector.
The far-right president, elected on a law-and-order platform, warned in a tweet that sky-high violence would only slow if laws were passed to provide police and soldiers freedom from prosecution when on active duty.
The legislative, executive and judicial powers have to make this commitment urgently, he tweeted.
Throughout the campaign, Bolsonaro said he wanted to give police and soldiers peace of mind while on often-violent operations, and he has also advocated broadening access to guns so people can defend themselves.
Critics argue those ideas only risk inflaming Brazils violent streets and worsening Brazils murder tally, nearly 64,000 people in 2017, a record.
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