Brasilia, March 4.- Ministers of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil, who are analyzing today in reserved discussions a possible amnesty proposal for former President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022), consider its possible application as unconstitutional.
According to the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, the judges of the superior court argue that a pardon for Bolsonaro and supporters involved in the coup attacks of January 8, 2023 in Brasilia would represent a violation of constitutional principles.
The debate on forgiveness arose after the former ruler gathered thousands of followers on February 25 in a demonstration on the emblematic Paulista Avenue, in Sao Paulo, where he alleged that those involved in the anti-democratic events were wronged by the STF.
However, the court's justices consider this narrative an attempt at political manipulation, especially given the nature of the crimes in question.
Recently, the Federal Police announced that it will include in its investigation the entire speech given by Bolsonaro at that massive event.
There are indications of “admission of guilt” in his words and the harangue will be transcribed and inserted in the records of the narrative of the coup episodes.
For the members of the PF, the former president's speech reinforced the line of inquiry that there was a plot to riot.
This is due to the fact that he cited in his speech the document found in the house of former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres in January 2023, known as the “minute of the coup.”
“What is a coup? It is a tank in the street, it is a weapon, a conspiracy. None of this was done in Brazil,” Bolsonaro declared at the rally on Paulista Avenue.
The followers of the former Army captain tried with the mobilization to show support for the far-right politician, who is trying to defend himself against various accusations, such as that of being a coup leader.
Bolsonaro also requested amnesty for those convicted of the plot, accused of invading and plundering the capital's headquarters of the National Congress, the Supreme Court and the Presidential Palace.
According to the STF judges, the former president's proposal seems more like a strategy to pressure the highest court than a legally viable measure.
They specify that, even if approved by Congress, an amnesty of that nature would certainly be contested and ruled out by the Supreme Court on the basis of established precedents, such as in the annulment of the pardon granted to former deputy Daniel Silveira.
The ministers emphasize that allowing a commutation for these types of crimes could put at risk the foundations of the Brazilian Constitution itself. (Text and photo: PL)
