US Did Not Grant Visas to Two State Department Officials

The Brazilian government did not grant visas to two officials from the US State Department who wanted to come to the country to meet with election officials before the presidential elections to be held in October. According to the news of the Brazilian State Agency Agencia Brasil, the visa applications of US State Department Deputy Undersecretary of the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights and Labor Riley Barnes and Acting Deputy Undersecretary Samuel Samson, who works in the same unit, were rejected by the Brazilian government. The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs stated that US officials intended to discuss issues related to freedom of expression during the election process, but rejected their visa applications because they did not find the reason for the visit appropriate.

According to local media, the Brazilian government did not allow US officials to enter the country on the grounds that the visit could politicize the election process. The news stated that Brazil has a tradition of accepting international observers in elections, but it was claimed that US officials wanted to come to the country for a different purpose, not as observers. Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, is seen as the strongest opponent of President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is running again in the elections to be held on October 4. It is noteworthy that the visa request came right after Flavio Bolsonaro, at a meeting with representatives of approximately 40 countries in the capital Brazil this week, claimed without providing any evidence that the electronic election system in Brazil was.