MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Lula insists Bolsonaro masterminded the Jan. 8, 2023, uprising

Bolsonaro left the country and “let his principals carry out what he did,” Lula argued

One day before the first anniversary of the Jan. 8, 2023, riots in Brasilia, when the headquarters of all three branches of government were stormed by anti-government groups, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Sunday insisted his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro was behind it all.

He “planned it, cowardly, and did not have the courage to confront it,” Lula stressed. “I believe there is a direct responsible, who planned all this and who cowardly hid and left Brazil beforehand, and that was the former president of the republic,” said Lula.

In Lula's view, Bolsonaro tried to “demoralize the electoral Justice at all times” and “demoralize all possible institutions.”

“He left [the country] and let his principals carry out what he did,” he went on while insisting all those involved in the attack would be held accountable. “We are in no hurry. What we want is that justice be done, in fact and in law, so that no one dares to attack the democratic process again,” he said. “It is thanks to democracy that people like me reach the Presidency of the Republic,” he also argued.

Numerous arrests were made after the incidents and the Public Prosecutor's Office filed charges against 1,390 suspects. Bolsonaro, who has been disenfranchised for eight years for “abuse of power and improper use of the media” in delegitimizing the electoral system, is being investigated for allegedly inciting the attacks.

According to a Quaest poll published by Folha de São Paulo, 89% of Brazilians disapprove of the events after one year while only 6% said they supported the uprising. Another 4% did not know or did not want to answer from 2,012 interviewees over 16 years of age approached between Dec. 14 and 18. Quaest also asked them if they thought Bolsonaro was behind it: 47% said yes, and 43% said no.

At this point, 66 people are still under investigation for inciting, financing, and carrying out the attacks, according to Agencia Brasil. The figures were compiled by the office of Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is the case rapporteur. The remaining defendants were released under some precautionary measures, such as the use of electronic anklets, a ban on leaving the country, the suspension of gun permits and Collector, Sport Shooter and Hunter (CAC) certificates, the surrender of their passports and weekly appearances before the courts. So far, 25 defendants have been sentenced by the Supreme Court. The sentences range from 10 to 17 years in prison for armed criminal association, abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d'état, qualified damage, and depredation of protected federal property.

Around 1,100 of those investigated will be entitled to an agreement not to prosecute (ANPP) and will not be indicted by the Attorney General's Office (PGR). The measure only applies to those who were arrested in front of army headquarters in Brasilia on January 9, the day after the protests, and will not apply to those who took part in the invasion and destruction of the headquarters.

Under the agreement, those accused of crimes committed without violence or serious threat can confess to the crimes in exchange for measures other than imprisonment, such as repairing the damage caused, handing over property resulting from the crime, paying a fine, and doing community service.

Brazilian authorities are planning an event for Monday at the Senate to commemorate the incidents. It will be called the “Democracy Unshaken” ceremony. Two thousand Military Police and 250 National Force officers will be deployed, Acting Justice Minister Ricardo Cappelli explained.

“There is no chance of a repeat on January 8, 2024, of what happened on January 8, 2023,” Cappelli underlined.