MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Brazil's Security Cabinet sacks military personnel involved in Jan. 8 riots

Cappelli said he was following President Lula's instructions

Brazilian authorities have sacked 28 military personnel and one civilian for their conduct during the Jan. 8 uprising in Brasilia, Acting Institutional Security Cabinet (GSI) Minister Ricardo Cappelli announced Thursday in a statement.

Cappelli explained that the measure is part of the GSI renewal process determined by President Lula and said he was working to conclude in the shortest possible time an investigation to know the participation of public officials in the Jan. 8 events. The deadline for closing this investigation is May 30.

Among those fired on Wednesday were three of the four GSI secretaries in addition to three generals, one rear admiral, eight colonels, two majors, and two captains appear, among other military or police officers.

Cappelli was appointed as head of the GSI last April 19, replacing General Marco Edson Gonçalves Dias, who resigned after the disclosure of a video in which he is seen with other officials circulating among the followers of the ultra-right-wing former president Jair Bolsonarowho stormed the Planalto Palace, giving them bottles of water and showing them the way.

Meanwhile, the Supreme Federal Court has reached a majority of votes (6 out of 10) to arraign over 200 people involved in the Jan. 8 riots. Case rapporteur Alexandre De Moraes was joined by Justices Dias Toffoli, Carmen Lúcia, Luiz Fux, Edson Fachin, and Luis Roberto Barroso, Agencia Brasil reported.

Last week, in the first vote on the case, the STF accepted the charges against some 100 defendants.

According to the STF, of the 1.4 thousand people arrested on Jan. 8, 294 (86 women and 208 men) are still in the Federal District's prison system.

Also Thursday, De Moraes ordered the release of 12 people who were arrested in front of Army barracks in Rio Branco and Belem, who should therefore be tried by local federal courts and not by the STF. The defendants must nevertheless wear an electronic anklet, appear weekly in court, and surrender their passports. They are also forbidden to access social networks.