Sexual harassment accusations down Brazil's human rights minister

Almeida has called the accusations baseless and ‘absurd lies’ in a video before being fired

Brazil's Minister of Human Rights Silvio Almeida gestures during the launch of the Living Without Limits Programme, a set of actions for the dignity and promotion of the rights of people with disabilities, at the Planalto Palace in Brasilia, Brazil Nov 23, 2023. Reuters/Ueslei Marcelino/File Photo

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Friday fired Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida following accusations that he sexually harassed several women, including another cabinet minister.

"The president considers it unsustainable to keep the minister in office considering the nature of the accusations of sexual harassment," Lula's office said in a statement.

A police investigation has been opened, it added.

Almeida, an activist for the legal defence of minority rights, claimed his innocence in a statement after losing his post, adding that he had asked President Lula to fire him in order to provide "freedom" for the investigations.

"It will be an opportunity for me to prove my innocence and rebuild myself ... Let the facts be laid out so that I can defend myself within the legal process," he said.

Almeida had called the accusations baseless and "absurd lies" in a video shared earlier on his social media, before he was fired.

One of the women who was allegedly harassed is the Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco, local media reported.

Franco, also a human rights activist, shared a statement on Friday thanking those who showed their support to her amidst the news.

"I ask you to respect my space and my right to privacy," she said on social media platform Instagram. "I'll contribute to investigations whenever I'm called."

Her sister, former Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco, was murdered in 2018 together with her driver in a case that was reported internationally.

"Someone who harasses won't stay in the government," Lula said earlier in an interview to a local radio station.

Both Franco and Almeida have been in the cabinet since the beginning of Lula's current term in 2023 and are seen in Brazil as important human rights activists.