‘Guardians of Crivella’ are subject to sentences of up to 12 years in prison, according to lawyers | National newspaper

This Tuesday (1st), the hospitals managed by the city of Rio had a different, calmer day. After the scheme of the attackers paid with public money was revealed, no one appeared at the door of the Pedro II hospital to try to disturb the work of the reporters.

The population could be heard about the service provided by the municipal health system. “The more we keep quiet, the human being suffers,” says a patient.

In the routine of intimidation, employees hired by the mayor can be held responsible for a series of crimes provided for in the Penal Code.

“In terms of severity, the most serious crime is embezzlement, which has a penalty of two to 12 years. Then comes the crime of criminal association, penalty of one to three. On the other hand, the crimes of illegal coercion and criminal condescension. they have minor penalties. Criminal condescension is when the head of a public official does not punish him when he breaches his duty ”, says Thiago Bottino, a law professor at the FGV.

Uerj Administrative Law professor Gustavo Binenbojm says that employees can still be administratively punished. Not just the attackers, but also the top-tier employees who appear in WhatsApp groups.

“There is a characterization of the practice of serious disciplinary offenses punishable by dismissal, which is the most serious disciplinary sanction that can be imposed on a public servant. In relation to the mayor, the crime of responsibility for the improper use of the public machine with evident political and personal benefit ”, he explains.

This Tuesday, in the middle of the afternoon, the mayor of Rio de Janeiro accepted the request for impeachment previously presented by PSOL. The plenary will decide on Thursday (3) whether or not to open the case against Mayor Marcelo Crivella.

In Brasilia, the president of the Chamber of Deputies, Rodrigo Maia, commented on the performance of the groups hired by the city of Rio: “Whenever the press has limited work, society has limited information and the public agent has a obligation to guarantee transparency “.

Several entities have spoken out about the attacks. The National Federation of Journalists said that “the city of Rio, under the command of Mayor Marcelo Crivella, violates constitutional principles by trying to prevent the free exercise of journalism and the population’s access to information of public interest.”

The international organization Reporters Without Borders said that “the use of officials from the city of Rio de Janeiro to deliberately restrict the work of the press and intimidate journalists constitutes a flagrant violation of the rights to freedom of the press and access to information. “.

Human Rights Watch, which works in defense of human rights, stressed that “in a democracy, authorities at all levels must respect the right of the population to access information of public interest, especially in the area of ​​health during a pandemic”.

The National Association of Newspapers also said: “It is very worrying to find the use of public money for this type of intimidation by the press and to take the floor from the citizen. ANJ hopes that the responsibilities will be investigated and those responsible will be punished. said the president of ANJ, Marcelo Rech.

The Brazilian Association of Radio and Television Broadcasters found it unacceptable that Rio city officials deliberately acted to impede the work of journalists and called for the investigation and punishment of those responsible.

“They are acts comparable to those perpetrated in Brazil during the two great dictatorships of the 20th century and to any totalitarian state that uses the state to intimidate citizens and the press,” emphasizes Professor Gustavo Binenbojm.

“The action is serious because it attacks democracy. One of the pillars of Brazilian democracy is the free press, an absolutely free way. And to silence the reporter is to repress democracy,” says Guilherme Peña, Director of Director at UFF.