Bolsonaro asks Supreme Court to intervene to avoid social media suspension

BRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's President Jair Bolsonaro asked the Supreme Court on Wednesday to block a possible ruling suspending him from social media.

A Senate investigative committee on Tuesday called for https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-senate-committee-approves-report-calling-bolsonaro-be-indicted-2021-10-26 Bolsonaro to be indicted for nine crimes related to his handling of the coronavirus pandemic, and asked that his social media accounts be suspended for spreading misinformation about COVID-19.

The committee has also requested access https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/brazil-senators-call-records-bolsonaros-internet-activity-2021-10-26 to his internet activity since April 2020. The government solicitor general asked the top court to bar social media companies from providing that information.

The report approved by the Senate committee on Tuesday holds Bolsonaro responsible for errors committed in handling the pandemic, which has killed more than 600,000 Brazilians.

It was delivered on Wednesday to the country's top public prosecutor, who was appointed by Bolsonaro and is not expected to indict the president.

Earlier this week, Facebook and YouTube removed https://www.reuters.com/world/americas/facebook-takes-down-bolsonaro-video-over-false-vaccine-claim-2021-10-25 from their platforms a video by Bolsonaro in which he made a false claim that COVID-19 vaccines were linked with developing AIDS.

(Reporting by Ricardo Brito, Editing by Rosalba O'Brien)