On January 8, not only the Supreme Court itself, but the presidential palace and the Brazilian Parliament were attacked, in shocking scenes reminiscent of the attack on the Capitol in Washington by supporters of Donald Trump. Broken windows, destroyed furniture, destroyed works of art… The damage was extensive.
This trial marks a “new turning point in the history of Brazil,” said prosecutor Carlos Frederico dos Santos at its opening, Wednesday, September 13. “We are turning the page on coups d’état and all those who remain attached to the idea of ​​taking power by violence and outside the framework of the Constitution must be held accountable for their crimes,” added the prosecutor, while the country remains marked. of more than 20 years of military regime, from 1964 to 1985.
The January 8 riots took place a week after the inauguration of leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who returned to power after two previous terms, from 2003 to 2010. In front of thousands of protesters, the police seemed completely overwhelmed.
Is this a real coup attempt orchestrated by Jair Bolsonaro’s supporters or a simple act of vandalism in the center of power? This is the backdrop of this trial.
232 processes and more than 1,000 people in the crosshairs of justice
The rapporteur of the Supreme Court, Judge Alexandre de Moraes, is a hardliner. He sentenced Aecio Costa Pereira, a 51-year-old man who was arrested in flagrante delicto during the destruction of the Senate, to 17 years in prison. He was the first of four defendants to appear in court, accused, among other things, of “armed criminal association, violent suppression of the democratic rule of law and looting of public places.”
For Alexandre de Moraes, crime is collective. Another judge, Nunes Marques, appointed to the Supreme Court by Jair Bolsonaro, believes that democracy is never at risk. He decided in favor of a sentence of two and a half years in prison.
The other nine judges must decide starting this Thursday, September 14, and determine the verdict of this exemplary trial. In total, 232 people were charged. The Prosecutor’s Office also studied the cases of more than 1,000 people who could avoid criminal action and receive fines or alternative measures to prison.
Identify the perpetrators of the attacks around Bolsonaro
Jair Bolsonaro, who was recently sentenced to eight years of disqualification for spreading false information about the electoral system before the election, is the subject of an investigation aimed specifically at discovering if he has role in inciting violence.
The former president was in the United States during the riots in Brasilia. He denied any involvement and criticized the “obsession of some” in trying to implicate him. “Since I assumed the presidency, I have always been accused of wanting to initiate a coup (…). Folha de S. Paulo.
He also accused Lula’s government of “at least” allowing the riots to continue on January 8. For their part, Lula’s supporters hope to identify the instigators of Jair Bolsonaro’s entourage.
