Brazil 'needs its own Guantanamo,' says Bolsonaro ally

Date created : 04/01/2019 - 00:09

Brasília (AFP)

Brazil "needs its own Guantanamo" to lock up criminals, Rio de Janeiro's state governor Wilson Witzel, an ally of new far-right President Jair Bolsonaro, said Thursday, referring to the US military base in Cuba used as an extraterritorial prison.

"We need to put terrorists in places where society is completely free of them," Witzel said in a speech to police in the city of Rio.

The new governor, who took office this week as part of an electoral wave favoring far-right politicians that elevated Bolsonaro to the presidency, is given to making controversial statements.

For instance, just after being elected in October last year, he suggested police snipers could kill armed "criminals" -- including anybody spotted carrying weapons, even if no-one was being threatened.

More:
https://www.france24.com/en/20190104-brazil-needs-its-own-guantanamo-says-bolsonaro-ally