MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

All set for first day of coup trial against Bolsonaro and others

“We have had 40 years of institutional stability,” Barroso stressed

Brazil's Federal Supreme Court (STF) is starting on Tuesday the trial of former President Jair Bolsonaro and seven other defendants for allegedly planning a coup d'état to overthrow Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva following the 2022 elections. The group is part of the core of the complaint filed by the Attorney General's Office (PGR).

About two and a half years after the Jan. 8, 2023, events, the STF will hold a historic trial that could lead to the imprisonment of a former president and Army generals on charges of coup d'état, an unprecedented measure since the country's redemocratization.

To ensure the trial proceeds smoothly, the STF has prepared a special security plan to restrict the movement of people in the Court buildings, in addition to using sniffer dogs to search for bombs and drones.

The trial will receive extensive media coverage. The Court has received 501 requests for accreditation from national and international media professionals interested in reporting on the trial.

In an unprecedented procedure, the Supreme Court also accredited individuals interested in attending the deliberations in person. According to the Court, there were 3,357 registrations from interested parties, including lawyers and citizens. Despite the large number of registrations, only the first 1,200 requests would be granted due to space limitations.

Those selected will follow the trial in the Second Panel of the Court's chamber on a large screen and will not be allowed to stay in the First Panel, where the trial will take place. The space will be reserved only for the defendants' lawyers and members of the press.

There are 150 seats available for each of the eight trial sessions, scheduled for September 2, 3, 9, 10, and 12.

On September 2, 9, and 12, the sessions will be held in the morning and afternoon, with a break for lunch. On September 3 and 10, the trial will only take place in the morning.

In addition to Bolsonaro, the other defendants are Alexandre Ramagem (former director of the Brazilian Intelligence Agency - Abin), Almir Garnier (former commander of the Navy), Anderson Torres (former Minister of Justice and former Secretary of Security for the Federal District), Augusto Heleno (former Minister of Institutional Security - GSI), Paulo Sérgio Nogueira (former Minister of Defense), Walter Braga Netto (former minister under Bolsonaro and vice presidential candidate in the 2022 election), and Mauro Cid (former aide-de-camp to Bolsonaro)).

Amid this hype, Chief Justice Luís Roberto Barroso said on Monday that the trial would proceed calmly and without interference. However, he will not participate in the trial.

“The role of the judiciary is to judge the cases presented to it. This applies to digital platforms, and it applies to criminal charges brought by the Attorney General. The trial must be conducted with absolute serenity, but in accordance with the Constitution, without interference, wherever it may come from. We are there to fulfill a difficult mission, but it is the mission of serving Brazil,” he commented.

“Since redemocratization, we have had 40 years of institutional stability. If it is proven that there was an attempted coup, the trial will still take place. I think it is very important to judge, end the cycle of backwardness in the country, and be aware that divergence, which is legitimate and desirable in a democracy, must manifest itself within the rules of the game,” he added. (Source: Agencia Brasil)