WHERE WE REPORT


Translate page with Google

Story Publication logo September 21, 2022

'I Really Killed It’: The Most Anti-Environmental Lawmaker in Pará Seeks Reelection With a Bolsonarist Cliché (Portuguese)

Country:

Authors:
a woman stands in a boat and stares
English

In an election year, the tool investigates the performance of Brazilian deputies on issues related...

author #1 image author #2 image
Multiple Authors
SECTIONS

This story excerpt was translated from Portuguese. To read the original story in full, visit Repórter Brasil. You may also view the original story on the Rainforest Journalism Fund website here. Our website is available in English, Spanish, bahasa Indonesia, French, and Portuguese.



Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

Ex-deputy Éder Mauro (PL-PA) assumes to have executed several people and camouflages performance contrary to rural peoples and the environment with moralistic speech; candidate is the target of 101 complaints to the ombudsman for his performance as a police officer

After praying and singing the national anthem, federal deputy Éder Mauro (PL-PA), candidate for reelection, begins his speech saying that, if the left comes back to power, incest will be legalized, "so that the father can marry the daughter". It is a lie used by the former delegate throughout the campaign and that was repeated again in Belém (PA), during an act of celebration of September 7th. But the moralistic tone, along with the performance as a policeman with pretension of justice, serves to camouflage another facet of the politician: that of a ruralist who systematically acts against the environment and the people of the countryside.

Éder Mauro, 61, was a Civil Police delegate in Pará for 30 years, between 1984 and 2014, when he was elected federal deputy for the first time. He has said that he "killed many people," but made one caveat: "they were all bandits". For his actions as a police officer, he was the target of at least 101 complaints in the Ombudsman's Office of the Integrated System of Public Security and Social Defense (Sieds) of Pará, which include accusations of murder, torture, and home invasions, according to a survey obtained by Repórter Brasil. The former deputy was cited in the final report of the Pará Legislative Assembly's 'CPI of Militias' in 2015, but ended up not being indicted.


As a nonprofit journalism organization, we depend on your support to fund journalism covering underreported issues around the world. Donate any amount today to become a Pulitzer Center Champion and receive exclusive benefits!


The politician uses a skull emoticon on Instagram to boast about his position as leader of the bullet caucus in the Amazon. But the analysis of his performance in the House suggests that he could exchange the image for an ox: the deputy is the third worst placed in Ruralômetro 2022, a tool developed by Repórter Brasil that evaluates the performance of the House on issues such as environment, Indigenous peoples, quilombolas, and rural workers. The ranking, which is in its second edition, makes it possible to know the "ruralist fever" of each congressman. In it, Éder Mauro is burning hot with a temperature of 40.9°C.


In Belém, the September 7th act was held in the Umarizal neighborhood, the most noble of the Para capital, and gathered Bolsonaro supporters dressed in green and yellow. Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

"God raised Bolsonaro," said Zequinha Marinho on September 7, candidate for the government of Pará acts alongside Éder Mauro as an interlocutor for miners and loggers in Brasilia. Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

This poster was one of the few references to the Amazon in the act in Belém; the silence contrasts with the strong action of Pará's Bolsonarism in environmental setbacks. Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

Rogério Barra, Éder Mauro's son, entered politics sponsored by his father and is a candidate for state deputy; his campaign jingle refers to the two as "Bolsonaro's deputies". Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

A man dressed as Captain America participating in the September 7 in Belém says Bolsonaro and his candidates defend freedom of expression. Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

Electoral and digital marketing specialist, Bruna Lorraine, sues Éder Mauro for aggression: "Whoever votes for him wants to self-affirm, to strengthen a type of macheza." Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.

Attacked by Éder Mauro, Richard Callefa suffered virtual threats and was even coerced in the streets of Belém. Image by João Laet/Repórter Brasil. Brazil, 2022.