International

A Brazilian court decides that offending a white man for his color does not constitute racial insult

The Superior Court of Justice (STJ) of Brazil decided on Tuesday that offenses directed at a white person because of the color of their skin do not constitute racism or racial insult, a crime criminalized in the country and that consists of offending a person because of their race, color, ethnicity or national origin.

According to a sentence unanimously approved by the members of the Sixth Chamber of the court of third instance, racial insult is only configured when the offense is directed at black people because of their race and as a way of discriminating against them.

The decision, which sets a precedent for similar processes, accepted the appeal of a black man accused of racial injury for having called a white man a “European white-headed slaver”. The plaintiff alleged that the accusation did not proceed because there is no so-called “reverse racism”.

The case occurred in the state of Alagoas (northeast) in 2023 and was considered by the Prosecutor’s Office itself as a racial insult.

The third instance magistrates concluded that racial injury does not apply to white people offended by the color of their skin, but that the offense can be considered and sanctioned as another type of crime provided for in the Criminal Code, among which simple insults are included.

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According to the judges, the 1989 Brazilian law that criminalized crimes of prejudice by race or color aimed to protect groups historically discriminated against for racism.

The decision, for the same reason, rejects the concept of “reverse racism”, understood as the act in which black people offend white people because of their race or color.

“We reject the concept of reverse racism because racism is a structural phenomenon that has historically affected minority groups and cannot be applied to majority groups in positions of power,” the sentence says.

For the investigating judge of the process, Magistrate Og Fernandes, “it is unfeasible to interpret the existence of a crime of racial insult committed against a person whose skin is white, when such a characteristic is the reason for the offense.”

Unlike racial injury, with penalties of between 2 and 5 years in prison, simple injury provides for penalties of between one and six months in prison.

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In Brazil, the country with the largest number of Afro-descendants in the world after Nigeria and with historical social differences due to racial discrimination, 56.1% of the population declares itself black or mulatto, according to the 2022 Census.

International

Marco Rubio warns Venezuela against military action against Guyana

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio warned Venezuela on Thursday that a military attack on Guyana would be “a big mistake” and “a very bad day for them,” expressing his support for Georgetown in its territorial dispute with Caracas.

“It would be a very bad day for the Venezuelan regime if they attacked Guyana or ExxonMobil. It would be a very bad day, a very bad week for them, and it would not end well,” Rubio emphasized during a press conference in Georgetown alongside Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.

International

Ecuador oil spill worsens as containment dam collapses

The collapse of a containment dam holding back part of the 25,000+ barrels of oil spilled from a pipeline rupture nearly two weeks ago has worsened the environmental crisis in northwestern Ecuador, contaminating rivers and Pacific beaches.

The Ecuadorian government attributed the March 13 pipeline rupture—which led to the spill of 25,116 barrels of crude—to an act of sabotage. The spill affected three rivers and disrupted water supplies for several communities, according to authorities.

On Tuesday, due to heavy rains that have been falling since January, a containment dam on the Caple River collapsed. The Caple connects to other waterways in Esmeraldas Province, a coastal region bordering Colombia, state-owned Petroecuador said in a statement on Wednesday.

Seven containment barriers were installed in the Viche River, where crews worked to remove oil-contaminated debris. Additional absorbent materials were deployed in Caple, Viche, and Esmeraldas Rivers, which flow into the Pacific Ocean.

Authorities are also working to protect a wildlife refuge home to more than 250 species, including otters, howler monkeys, armadillos, frigatebirds, and pelicans.

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“This has been a total disaster,” said Ronald Ruiz, a leader in the Cube community, where the dam was located. He explained that the harsh winter rains caused river levels to rise, bringing debris that broke the containment barriersthat were holding the accumulated oil for extraction.

International

Federal court blocks Trump’s use of Enemy Alien Act for deportations

A federal appeals court upheld the block on former President Donald Trump’s use of the Enemy Alien Act on Wednesday, preventing him from using the law to expedite deportations of alleged members of the transnational criminal group Tren de Aragua.

With a 2-1 ruling, a panel from the Washington, D.C. Court of Appeals affirmed previous decisions by two lower court judges, maintaining the legal standoff between the White House and the judiciary.

On March 14, Trump invoked the 1798 Enemy Alien Act, a law traditionally used during wartime, to deport hundreds of Venezuelans whom he accused of belonging to Tren de Aragua, a criminal organization that originated in Venezuelan prisons.

The centuries-old law grants the president the power to detain, restrict, and expel foreign nationals from a country engaged in a “declared war” or an “invasion or predatory incursion” against the United States, following a public proclamation.