CESR has joined a coalition of 192 Brazilian civil society organizations and networks, national rights councils, labor unions, and academic institutions in filing an amicus curiae brief in support of a judicial action against Brazil’s expenditure cap—Constitutional Amendment No. 95, also known as EC95. The legal action asks Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court to repeal the Spending Ceiling Amendment of 2016, an unpopular austerity measure that freezes real public spending for 20 years and has had grievous effects on the wellbeing of many of Brazil’s citizens, especially in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In 2017, pioneering research by CESR and partners demonstrated how EC95 diverted money from vital social programs to fund federal debt service payments, putting at risk the basic social and economic rights of millions of Brazilians, including the rights to food, health and education.
Access the amicus curiae brief here.
Access a related article in Direitos Valem Mais here.
Access CESR's "Human Rights in Times of Austerity" factsheet here.
