This Monday, the judge of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil (STF), Alexandre de Moares, decided that the highest court has jurisdiction to try both civilians and soldiers involved in the coup attempt on January 8.
In this regard, Moraes authorized the Federal Police (PF) to open an investigation “to determine the authorship and materiality of eventual crimes committed by members of the Armed Forces and military police related to attacks against democracy,” reports a dispatch from Latin Press.
In this way, the Supreme Court will prosecute the members of the Armed Forces involved in the invasion and depredation of the National Congress, the STF and the Planalto Palace, seat of the Executive Branch, events that occurred on January 8.
Participation and omission of military
As will be remembered, that day radical supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro violently broke into and looted the headquarters of these three powers in Brasilia, with requests for military intervention and rejection of the assumption of power by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
In this regard, the Federal Police indicated that there was participation and omission of Army soldiers in the practice of crimes against the Democratic State of Law.
According to De Moraes, the jurisdiction to try members of the Armed Forces does not fall within the Military Court, since the crimes committed are not provided for in the Military Penal Code.
“The military Penal Code does not protect the person of the military, but rather the dignity of the institution of the Armed Forces, in accordance with what was peacefully decided by this Supreme Court when defining that Military Justice does not judge military crimes, but military crimes” , highlighted in the decision.
For the judge, those involved must answer for the crimes of terrorist acts, including preparatory acts, incitement to crime, armed criminal association, violent abolition of the Democratic State of Law, coup d’état, threat, persecution, damage and major arson.
835 people implicated in coup attempt
The number of those involved in the coup attacks rose to 835 on February 14, after the Prosecutor’s Office denounced another 139 people.
According to a statement from the entity, 137 of these people were arrested red-handed inside the Planalto, and another two detained in the Plaza de los Tres Poderes with firecrackers, knives, tear gas cartridges, as well as material to produce homemade cocktail-type explosives. Molotov.
Of the total number of those involved, 645 people are considered inciters, that is, they participated in the act or were camped out in front of the Army Headquarters in Brasilia, but they did not loot public buildings.
While, the other 189 are considered executors: they practiced invasion of buildings, vandalism and depredation.
