Bolsonaro asks Brazil’s Supreme Court to block possible social media suspension

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro on Wednesday asked the country’s Supreme Court to intervene in a case that could result in him being suspended from several social media platforms, Reuters reported.

A Brazilian Senate investigative committee, citing his spread of COVID-19 misinformation, sought to have him suspended from social media platforms. The same report called for him to be indicted on nine charges, including crimes against humanity.

The charges are connected to his government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in 605,000 deaths and 21.7 million COVID-19 cases, according to data from the World Health Organization.

Earlier this week, Facebook and YouTube took down a video from the president that baselessly alleged that there was a tie between AIDS and the COVID-19 vaccine.

Earlier this year, YouTube said that it had taken down other videos from Bolsnaro’s channel for spreading COVID-19 misinformation.

“Our policies don’t allow content that claims hydroxychloroquine and/or Ivermectin are effective to treat or prevent COVID-19, claims that there is a guaranteed cure for COVID-19, and claims that masks don’t work to prevent the spread of the virus,” YouTube spokesperson told The Hill in a statement in July.

The Brazilian president has also been fined a few times for failing to adhere to masking policies.

Bolsonaro is likely not to face any real punishment given that Brazil’s top prosecutor, who received the Senate investigative committee, was appointed by the president, according to Reuters.