The Minister of Justice and Public Security, Flávio Dino, presented today (26) to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the proposals to toughen the legislation on crimes against the Democratic State of Law. The initiative is a reaction to terrorist acts that took place on January 8, in Brasilia, and was nicknamed Democracy Package.
The package includes a Constitutional Amendment Proposal (PEC), a Provisional Measure (MP) and two bills. “I made a brief summary of the projects we are debating so that, at the beginning of the legislative period, the president can talk to the other powers and see the fate of the projects that were prepared here”, said Dino, in an interview with the press.
Next week will be the opening of the Judiciary year at the Federal Supreme Court and the Legislative year at the National Congress, with the inauguration of elected and re-elected parliamentarians for the Chamber and Senate.
After the meeting with Lula, at the Planalto Palace, Dino participated in a meeting with state secretaries of Public Security, at the ministry’s headquarters, in Brasília.
National guard
The PEC that is being prepared by the folder will deal with the creation of a standing national guard, replacing the National Force, which operates on temporary missions. The idea is for the guard to be responsible for the protection of federal public buildings in Brasília and to act in special operations in indigenous lands, border areas, conservation units and support for state security.
The MP will deal with legal changes to criminalize conduct on the internet that configure the practice of an attack against the Democratic State of Law, with the accountability of internet platforms that do not take down terrorist and anti-democratic publications.
“We think that the profit margins earned by this business model cannot mean shelter from criminal practices. This must be done with great care to protect the sacred freedom of expression enshrined in the Constitution, but it cannot be a free-for-all”, said Dino during the opening of the meeting with secretaries.
For the minister, political terrorism should not be immune from very serious consequences, including material ones. According to him, in recent days, the Union has invested BRL 40 million to restore part of the public assets plundered on January 8, in addition to spending on exceptional security operations. “This is the responsibility of those who think political terrorism is beautiful, of those who practice it, of those who organize and finance it. We have to work together to end the stimulation of this harmful culture”, he added.
In this way, the government must also propose a bill (PL) that increases the penalty for those who organize and finance coup-mongering and anti-democratic acts. The measure must still typify new crimes, such as the attempt on the lives of the presidents of the three powers.
Finally, the second PL proposes to expedite the loss of assets for those who participate in crimes against the Democratic State of Law. This loss of assets, according to Dino, includes individuals and companies.
meeting with secretaries
During the opening of the meeting with the Secretaries of Public Security, Dino highlighted the importance of integrated work, “productive and efficient in favor of the population, respecting the autonomy of the federal entities”.
On the agenda of the meeting is the management of the National Public Security Fund and questions about the sharing and execution of resources. According to the minister, there is currently a damming of approximately R$ 2.3 billion already transferred by the Union to state funds and, due to bureaucratic difficulties, have not yet managed to be invested in improving security services for the population. Dino’s idea is to collect suggestions from the secretaries to speed up the execution of these transfers and the next ones.
Likewise, the government wants to streamline the acquisition and transfer of equipment and materials to the states. The secretaries should also address the strengthening of drug policy and the resumption of the National Program for Public Security with Citizenship (Pronasci).
Another item on the agenda, highlighted by Dino, is gun policy. On January 1st, Lula issued a decree aimed at recomposing the gun control policy and now the ministry has a working group to deal with new regulations for Law 10,826which establishes the rules for the registration, possession and sale of firearms and ammunition.
“Our desire is to have definitive regulation, without changing the law, but at an infra-legal level, with decrees and ordinances. That [acesso da população a armas] has a very strong impact on public safety and the fight against criminal organizations. This regulation will take place in a participatory manner. We also want this council to indicate a representative of the state security secretaries to discuss this proposal with us to be presented to President Lula”, explained Dino.
THE decree already edited by Lula, reduces the quantity of weapons and ammunition permitted to be used, subjecting the carrying authorization to proof of need. It also suspends registration for the acquisition and transfer of weapons and ammunition for restricted use by hunters, shooters and collectors (CACs) and the granting of authorizations to open new clubs and shooting schools. The presidential decree also determines that, within 60 days, the Federal Police (PF) must re-register all weapons sold as of May 2019.
