International

Former Bolsonaro aide testifies in Brazil about vaccination fraud

Photo: Metrópoles

May 18 |

Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, former aide-de-camp to former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, will testify today at the Federal Police (PF) as part of an investigation into the falsification of anti-Covid-19 vaccine data.

Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), ordered on May 3 the PF to arrest Cid, in addition to conducting a search and seizure at the former president’s house.

The former paratrooper’s home was the subject of one of the search and seizure warrants, and the agents also collected the former president’s cell phone.

“I never said I took the [Covid-19] vaccine. I was never asked for a vaccination card in the United States. There is no manipulation on my part,” said the far-right politician when he left his residence in Brasília, accompanied by his defense lawyers.

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On that occasion, 16 search and arrest warrants were served, and six preventive arrest warrants were issued in Brasília and Rio de Janeiro.

“The false insertions, which occurred between November 2021 and December 2022, had as a consequence the alteration of the truth about a legally relevant fact, that is, the immunized status against Covid-19 of the beneficiaries,” said the PF.

Therefore, it added, “such persons were able to issue the respective vaccination certificates and use them to circumvent the sanitary restrictions in force imposed by the public authorities (Brazil and the United States) aimed at preventing the spread of contagious disease”.

The suspicion is that the vaccination records of Bolsonaro, Cid and Laura, the ex-governor’s youngest daughter, were falsified.

Simulated information was entered into the Ministry of Health system between November 2021 and December 2022 to obtain the vaccination certificate and travel to the United States.

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Bolsonaro assured the PF, during a testimony on May 16, that he did not know about an alleged scheme that rigged the inoculation data against Covid-19.

In the statement, to which the portal R7 and Record TV had access, the ex-military admitted knowing Ailton Barros Gonçalves, retired Army major and arrested on suspicion of involvement in the deceptive web.

To the PF, Bolsonaro affirmed that “if Mauro Cid devised (fraudulent scheme of vaccination cards) it was in absence, without any knowledge or guidance” of the former head of state.

The law enforcement force also found dialogues between allies of the former Army captain that show an articulation for a coup attempt, with the aim of keeping Bolsonaro in power and arresting De Moraes.

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International

Ten Bodies Found in Mexico’s Zacatecas State Amid Security Operation

Mexican authorities discovered the bodies of 10 people on Saturday in the central state of Zacatecas, a region that was heavily affected by organized crime violence just a few years ago.

The victims were found in different municipalities across the state, which experienced a surge in violence between 2021 and 2022 as rival criminal groups fought for control of key drug trafficking routes.

Rodrigo Reyes, secretary general of the Zacatecas state government, said on social media that the bodies were located in the municipalities of Morelos, Pánuco, and Sain Alto.

Authorities have not yet disclosed the causes of death or identified those responsible for the killings.

Reyes said security forces have launched a coordinated operation to locate those behind the crimes and strengthen the police presence in the affected areas as the investigation continues.

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International

U.S. to Limit Visa Duration for Foreign Students and Journalists

The United States has announced new limits on the legal length of stay for foreign students and journalists, marking the latest tightening of immigration policies under President Donald Trump.

The changes, outlined in an administrative rule published on Thursday, are expected to take effect in September, unless Congress blocks the measure.

Under the new policy, holders of student visas will be allowed to remain in the United States for no more than four years.

Foreign journalists will be limited to 240-day stays—approximately eight months—with the possibility of applying for extensions of the same duration.

The policy imposes even stricter rules on Chinese journalists, whose visas will be capped at 90 days.

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More than 100 international news organizations and press freedom groups, including Agence France-Presse (AFP), criticized the measure in an open letter, arguing that it would reduce both the quantity and quality of international coverage of events in the United States.

The Republican Party, led by President Trump, currently holds a majority in Congress and has pledged to curb both illegal immigration and certain forms of legal immigration.

Previously, the United States generally issued student visas for the full duration of an academic program, while foreign journalists could receive visas valid for up to five years.

Central America

Nicaragua Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Italy Over Red Brigades Dispute

The Nicaraguan government announced on Thursday that it is severing diplomatic relations with Italy following criticism from the Italian government over Nicaragua’s long-standing decision to shelter Alessio Casimirri, a former member of the Red Brigades convicted in Italy for the 1978 kidnapping and murder of former Prime Minister Aldo Moro.

Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani criticized the administration of co-presidents Daniel Ortega and Rosario Murillo on Wednesday for continuing to provide refuge to Casimirri, who was sentenced in Italy to six life terms for his role in Moro’s abduction and killing.

In a statement issued Thursday, Nicaragua’s Foreign Ministry said it was ending all diplomatic relations with Italy, describing Tajani’s remarks as “unjustified, aggressive, and irresponsible.”

Tajani made the comments during a gathering of conservative leaders from Europe and Latin America held in Madrid.

“We have absolutely nothing in common with the positions of extremist governments such as Nicaragua, a country that continues to harbor dangerous Red Brigades terrorists like Alessio Casimirri,” Tajani said, according to Italian media.

The diplomatic break marks a new escalation in tensions between the two countries over the decades-old case involving Casimirri, who has lived in Nicaragua for many years despite repeated calls from Italy for his extradition.