Brazil's former President Bolsonaro ordered to pay damages for racist comments

Sao Paulo: A Brazilian Federal Court on Tuesday ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to pay 1 million reais ($188,865)in damages for collective moral harm stemming from racist comments he made while in office.

The inquiry originated from Bolsonaro's statements to a Black supporter who approached him in May 2021 and asked to take a picture. The former president joked, saying he was seeing a cockroach in the man's hair. He also compared the style to a "cockroach breeding ground," implying the hair was unclean.

Bolsonaro's legal team did not immediately respond to requests for comment. His defense had previously told media outlets that the former leader's remarks were intended as jokes rather than racist statements, denying any intent to cause offense.

The ruling comes less than a week after Brazil's Supreme Court sentenced the former army captain to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup d'état when he lost his bid for reelection in 2022. Tuesday's court decision also coincides with Bolsonaro being hospitalized in Brasília after falling ill at his residence, where he remains under house arrest.