( Spanish) — The Federal Supreme Court of Brazil ordered the Federal Police to take a statement from former President Jair Bolsonaro within 10 days as part of the investigation into the violent protests that took place on January 8, something that magistrate Alexandre Moraes described as “coup acts”.
According to a press release from the court, Moraes considered the investigation of Bolsonaro essential for the complete clarification of the events surrounding the January 8 protests. That day, thousands of followers of the former president took over the headquarters of the Executive Branch, Congress and the Supreme Court itself for several hours, in protest of the 2022 election results, in which Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was elected president.
The inquiry into Bolsonaro focuses especially on whether he encouraged crimes against the rule of law by broadcasting a video of another person questioning the validity of the October presidential elections without providing evidence, and that he republished on a social network on the night of 10 January and then deleted.
Moraes’ resolution indicates that this investigation is connected to the broader investigation into who was intellectually responsible for the coup acts and who encouraged them, which contemplates alleged crimes of instigation of terrorism, criminal association and incitement to crime.
Riots in government buildings recorded on January 8 in Brasilia.
Until this Friday, Bolsonaro had not ruled on the court summons and is trying to get a reaction from the former president.
Jair Bolsonaro repeatedly denied his involvement in the events and condemned them, although he said the day he returned to Brazil that many people were unjustly detained.
President Lula da Silva has described the disturbances in government buildings as a “coup attempt” by far-right groups.
The Court notes that Bolsonaro’s statement in the investigation had been requested by the Attorney General’s Office after the riots, but “had not been appreciated by the minister because Bolsonaro had been out of the country since December 30.” Bolsonaro returned to Brazil on March 30 after his stay in the United States.
