BRASILIA - Brazil's government summoned Human Rights Minister Silvio Almeida on Friday to clarify accusations that he sexually harassed several women, including another cabinet minister.

In a video released on his social media, Almeida, an activist for the legal defense of minority rights, denied all the accusations, saying they are "absurd lies" and baseless.

One of the women who was allegedly harassed is the prominent Racial Equality Minister Anielle Franco, local news outlet Metropoles reported, citing 14 people, including government officials and friends of hers.

Franco, also a human rights activist, declined to comment when asked about the report. Her sister, former Rio de Janeiro city council member Marielle Franco, was murdered in 2018 together with her driver in a case that was reported internationally.

Local NGO Me Too Brazil confirmed to Reuters it had received sexual harassment accusations against the minister, and that it had provided assistance to the women involved. After seeking approval from the women involved, the NGO agreed to disclose the cases, but without providing names or details.

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said he will meet with Almeida and Franco separately this afternoon.

"Someone that harasses won't stay in the government," Lula said in an interview to a local radio station, adding, however, that first the minister must be guaranteed the right to defend himself.

The Brazilian government said in a statement the accusations are serious, adding the case "was being handled with the rigor and haste that situations involving possible violence against women require."

The country's solicitor general and comptroller general called on Almeida to provide clarifications. Federal police also said they decided to open an investigation into the accusations.

Both Franco and Almeida have been in the cabinet since the beginning of Lula's current term in 2023 and are seen in Brazil as important human rights activists.

  - Reuters