The investigation accuses Bolsonaro of neglect and incompetence, contributing to the country’s high death toll

A draft report from a Brazilian senate inquiry into the country’s handling of the Covid-19 crisis has recommended charging President Jair Bolsonaro with murder over his actions during the pandemic. The 1,078-page document, not yet finalized, suggests that Bolsonaro’s “neglect, incompetence, and opposition to science” played a significant role in the country’s “stratospheric” death toll, which has surpassed 600,000.

The draft claims that Bolsonaro’s “deliberate and conscious” decision to delay vaccine purchases directly led to thousands of unnecessary deaths. Although the report is still subject to changes, its findings have already sparked intense debate over the Brazilian government’s response to the pandemic.