Brazil’s Supreme Court blocks President Bolsonaro’s move to expel Venezuelan diplomats

A Supreme Court judge in Brazil has suspended an order issued by the government of Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro to expel Venezuelan diplomats over the deterioration of political ties between the two neighbors.

According to Press TV, Justice Luis Roberto Barroso issued the ruling on Saturday after a lawmaker from Brazil’s Workers Party filed an appeal against the government’s expulsion order and said the decision was in violation of the country’s Constitution, international agreements on human rights and the Vienna Convention on diplomatic relations.

Barroso also stated that the immediate ejection of the Venezuelan diplomats in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic would run counter to humanitarian principles.

The Brazilian president criticized the injunction sought by Workers Party’s lawmaker Paulo Pimenta and said in a Twitter post later that he had decided on the “compulsory withdrawal of Venezuelan diplomatic corps.”

The Brazilian president had ordered some 30 Venezuelan diplomats and consular staffers to leave his country by May 2.

Brazil withdrew the remainder of its diplomats from Caracas on April 17 and the Bolsonaro’s government had expected Venezuela to follow suit by Saturday, citing a verbal agreement on a reciprocal move to close each countries’ missions, according to Brazilian officials.

Caracas has underlined in a statement on Thursday that there had been no such negotiation and its diplomats would stay put, with Venezuelan Foreign Minister Jorge Arreaza saying Brazil was violating international law by forcing its diplomatic personnel to leave.

SS