Brazil's Bolsonaro slams UN rights chief's 'attacking' words

Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro has censured the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, for interfering in the Brazilian internal affairs "along the lines" of French President Emmanuel Macron.

Bachelet is "following Macron's line" by meddling in Brazil's affairs in "attacking our courageous civil police and military," Bolsonaro wrote on Twitter on Wednesday.

The tweet came as the former Chilean president expressed concern over human rights restrictions in Brazil and an increase in killings by police officers at a press conference in Geneva earlier Wednesday.

Bachelet said that "1,291 individuals were killed by the police” in Rio and Sao Paulo alone, adding, "It might be police action, but what I want to highlight is there is an increase from 12 to 17 percent compared to the same period last year."

"In recent months we have seen also a shrinking of civic and democratic space, highlighted by documented attacks against human rights defenders, restrictions on the work of civil society and attacks on educational institutions," she added.

Late last month, the Brazilian president accused Macron of interfering in Brazil's affairs after he urged the internationalization of efforts to protect the Amazon, a major source of oxygen, which was hit by wildfires.

Since assuming office in January, Bolsonaro has been accused of harming the Amazon and encouraging the encroachment on indigenous territories for economic activities.

SS