Senator Gilberto Marinho proposed today the enactment of a measure aimed at easing Constitutional restrictions against naturalized Brazilian citizens.
Under present law, naturalized Brazilians are not permitted to serve as judges or members of Parliament, nor are they allowed to publish newspapers or teach Portuguese in elementary schools. The law also forbids Brazilian consular or diplomatic officials to marry naturalized citizens.
Senator Marino told the Senate that the restrictions, which affect about a million naturalized citizens including several thousand Jews, serve only to reduce such persons to the status of “a periah. ” He said it would be better to do away with naturalization completely rather than keep such restrictions on the books.
A petition signed by 200 Brazilian legislators calling for the removal of restrictions on naturalized citizens had been submitted to the Parliament, last year. It was referred to a Parliamentary committee but was not acted upon since.
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