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International solidarity

We want Jean Wyllys alive!

Monday 28 January 2019

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Jean Wyllys was a gay congressman from PSOL – the first open homosexual and proud fighter for LGBTIQ rights in the National Congress – who has left his job and also the country this week because of consecutive death threats.
We know how important it is to stand up for his life right now. At this moment, Jean has been the target of a flood of fake news from far-right groups trying to link his exile with an alleged involvement in the assassination attempt of President Jair Bolsonaro in September last year.

As this is a very urgent situation, Brazilian activists would like to count on your support. We already have a lot of national support (more than 230 signatures of individuals and organisations) and now we are looking for signatures of parties, NGOs, movements, orgnaizations, intelectuals, leaders, MP’s and public figures of other countries. If you can send support from your parties, movements, leaders and organizations by as soon as possible, it would be very important

International solidarity was very important in pressing the authorities to act in the case of Marielle Franco’s murder and now the threats against Jean must also be taken seriously. [R.C.]

Manifesto

We have received, with great sadness, Jean Wyllys’ decision to leave the country and his mandate as a Federal Deputy. Faced with the Brazilian State’s failure to guarantee security and protection to Wyllys, this radical measure is a consequence of the numerous threats received and of a violent culture, which despises the lives of Brazilian LGBTIs.

Brazil is the country where most LGBTIs die in hate crimes, chase blacks persons, and where the murder of cis and trans women breaks records. In these early days of 2019, we mourned the murder of Quelly da Silva, a transvestite murdered with extreme cruelty. Another teenager, also transvestite, was stoned and lost 8 teeth. A lesbian woman was murdered and then raped while she worked. The situation is terrifying.

Our country is also one of those in the world that persecutes most heavily human rights defenders. The decision of Jean Wyllys, in defence of his life, understandable and has our broad solidarity. It is a sign that democracy in Brazil is at risk and that violence has surpassed all levels that could be tolerated.

We reject the position of representatives of the Judiciary, the Legislative and the Executive. They are undervaluing and minimizing the gravity of the situation of Jean Wyllys. They jokingly signal their approval to the perpetrators of these crimes. Such an attitude only amplifies the persecution of LGBTIs, women, black persons and human rights defenders.

We stand alongside Jean Wyllys and we want him alive.

Democracy in Brazil is at stake.

We need to demonstrate total solidarity to all who resist and defend the Human Rights.

Here is the manifesto in English where you can directly add signatures. You will also find it in Portuguese.

Initial international signatories

Professor Gilbert Achcar, University of London SOAS

David Alderson Director of The Centre for Inter-Disciplinary Research in Arts and Languages (CIDRAL) School of Arts, Languages and Cultures University of Manchester

Olivier Besancenot, national spokesperson of NPA France

Terry Conway, Islington North Labour Party LGBT officer

Peter Drucker, Fellow, International Institute for Research and Education, Amsterdam

Penelope Duggan, Editor of International Viewpoint, Fellow, International Institute for Research and Education, Amsterdam

María Fernanda Arellanes Arellanes, Partido Revolucionario de las y los Trabajadores (PRT)

Adriano Campos - Dirigente Nacional do Bloco de Esquerda (Portugal)

Valéria Costa Pacheco

Enrique Duarte miembro PRT México

Samuel R. Friedman , AIDS researcher

Adam Hanieh, SOAS, University of London

Dr Sai Englert, SOAS, University of London

A. Fernández Gómez- Estado español

Jonathan Fryer

Paul Le Blanc, Professor of History, La Roche College, (USA)

Alicia Mendoza Guerra PRT México

Dr. Paul Mepschen, Political Sociology/Sociology of gender and sexuality, University of Amsterdam.

Christine Poupin, national spokesperson of NPA France

Philippe Poutou , national spokesperson of NPA France

Rahul Rao, SOAS University of London

Fco. Rafael Trujano Fermoso

Rina Ronja Kari, MEP, The People’s movement against the EU (DK)

Pierre Rousset, Europe solidaire sans frontières (ESSF), France

Soren Sondergaard, MP, The Red-Green Alliance (DK)

Jan Willem Stutje, historian and working at the International Institute of Social History (Amsterdam) and the University of Ghent; Fellow of the International Institute for Research and Education (Amsterdam)

Eric Toussaint, spokesperson of CADTM International, member of the International Council of the World Social Forum

Eleni Varikas, Emeritus Professor of Political Science and Gender Studies . University of Vincennes Saint-Denis / National Centre of Scientific Research, CRESPPA (France)

A Coletiva (Coletivo Feminista) Portugal

Colectivo Feminista Socialista Voces de Lilith, México

Democracia Socialista Argentina

The full list of signatories is here.

P.S.

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