Trials begin in Brazil for pro-Bolsonaro rioters who stormed capital

[Judi Lynn]

Prosecutors hope to send the message that Brazil has ‘turned the page on the day of coups’, rejecting election-related violence.



Supporters of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro break into the Planalto presidential palace in Brasilia on January 8, 2023 [Eraldo Peres/AP Photo]

Published On 13 Sep 2023
13 Sep 2023

Brazilian judicial authorities have begun trials for those who stormed the country’s government buildings on January 8 in the hope of prompting a coup, after former President Jair Bolsonaro was narrowly voted out of office.

Brazil’s Supreme Court justices kicked off the process on Wednesday, hearing testimony from participants and weighing potential convictions.

“We have turned the page on the days of coups. Those who embrace the spurious idea that power can be won through violence and in violation of constitutional norms must respond for the resulting crimes,” prosecutor Carlos Frederico Santos told the court.

The trials centre on the events of January 8, when thousands of Bolsonaro supporters amassed on the Three Powers Plaza in the capital Brasilia, breaking into the country’s Supreme Court, Congress and presidential palace.

The incident unfolded a week after Bolsonaro’s successor, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, had been sworn in as president.

More:
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2023/9/13/trials-begin-in-brazil-for-pro-bolsonaro-rioters-who-stormed-capital

[Deuxcents]

1. Good on them for not waiting as long as we did.

Curious about their judicial system and what the consequences will be for the offenders