MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

New rules for demonstrations in Brasilia following Jan. 8 riots

Demonstrations are guaranteed by the Federal Constitution, Secretary Sandro Avelar explained

Authorities in the Brazilian capital (Federal District) announced the creation of a special security area in downtown Brasília, Agencia Brasil reported Tuesday. The measure provides rules for demonstrations in the federal capital and comes after the Jan. 8 riots for which hundreds of protesters are under investigation for allegedly seeking a military coup d'état to overthrow President Luiz Inácio Lula Da Silva.

The Federal District government decided to transform the central area of Brasilia into a special security area. The measure was published on Tuesday in the Official Gazette of the DF, Agencia Brasil also said.

With the decision, any gathering of people or demonstration held in the region must be notified five days in advance to the Secretariat of Public Safety (SSP). The measure was taken about 90 days after the January riots.

The decision seeks to protect the population and public buildings, in addition to ensuring urban mobility during the period of demonstrations, it was explained.

Simultaneous demonstrations at the same place or that may endanger the safety of the population, public property, and the preservation of public order will be vetoed.

According to Public Safety Secretary Sandro Avelar, public demonstrations are foreseen in the Constitution and will be guaranteed by the local government.

“Carrying out any kind of demonstration is a fundamental right expressed in the Federal Constitution, and this will be expressly guaranteed. What we are doing is an adjustment to better protect the public buildings, to enable a better organization of the security forces and to ensure public order, the integrity of the demonstrators, of the public property, and also to ensure urban mobility,” he said.

The new security area includes the Ministries Esplanade, the North and South roads, the Bus Station, the Buriti and Três Poderes squares, the region between the TV Tower and the Convention Center, and the area around the Alvorada and Jaburu palaces.

(Source: Agencia Brasil)