On January 8, 2023, supporters of Jair Bolsonaro attacked the buildings of the three branches of government in Brazil.
The president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silvaled this Wednesday an event of tribute to his country’s democracy as it marks two years since the attempted coup d’état by supporters of the former right-wing president, Jair Bolsonaro. “They wanted to assassinate me and also kill Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Magistrate Alexandre de Moraes,” denounced da Silva.
On January 8, 2023, thousands of supporters of the then outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro entered the headquarters of the Presidency, Parliament and the Supreme Court located in the capital Brasilia. Shouting “fraud” they attacked and vandalized the buildings. Bolsonaro had not accepted the results of the elections that gave da Silva the winner by a narrow margin.
On the second anniversary of these events, they held a symbolic hug in the Plaza de los Tres Poderes, which concentrates the buildings of the Executive, Legislative and the Supreme Court of Brazil. During the event, Lula assured that two years ago “those unbalanced people who believed it was easy to take power wanted to assassinate me and also kill Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Judge Alexandre de Moraes.”
During the ceremony, too some of the vandalized works of art were replaced by Bolsonaro supporters. They were restored and placed in the halls of the attacked buildings. They are considered part of the cultural heritage of Brazil.
310 people were convicted for the attempted coup d’état
Until now, the Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced 310 people for the events of January 8, 2023. They were charged with criminal association, the violent abolition of the democratic state of law and damage to public property.
The first convicted was Aécio Lúcio Costa Pereira. In September 2023 he received 17 years in prison. Among the evidence against him, there were videos filmed by himself where his participation in the events was proven. He was the first of several, many detained during the same events or nearby, in camps of protesters who were asking for the intervention of the Brazilian Armed Forces.
There were also 71 defendants who signed non-criminal prosecution agreements. The sentences were light, such as community service or courses on democracy.
Source: Ambito
