On Tuesday (31/01), the intervention in public security in the Federal District ended. During this period, the leadership of the capital’s forces was renewed due to suspicions of not carrying out the duty to prevent the incident and protect the buildings in the Three Powers Plaza. Now, the federal government has the challenge of advancing with a new project that intends to create a national guard responsible for protecting all central administration buildings in the targeted area. The objective is to prevent similar incidents from happening in the future.
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The Intervention
The intervention began in late afternoon on January 8th, when Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Justice, Ricardo Cappelli was placed in charge of Security in the Federal District. He was chosen by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) to respond to the errors and omissions committed by the government of the Federal District in attacks on the headquarters of the three Powers by vandals supporting former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
During the intervention period, a series of changes were carried out in the leadership of the Secretariat of Public Security and the Military Police of the DF, with the arrest of the heads of both areas. Anderson Torres was the first to be dismissed, still by Governor Ibaneis Rocha (MDB), who also ended up being removed by decision of the Federal Supreme Court (STF). Torres was eventually arrested by the Federal Police on 14 January. With the departure of Torres, Cappelli decided to exonerate the two closest assistants of the former secretary.
The command of the Military Police (PM) was also changed during the intervention period. Former head of PM Fábio Augusto Vieira was arrested by the PF and five of his assistants were fired.
National Guard
As a result of the 8 January attacks, Justice and Public Security Minister Flávio Dino decided to present Lula with a draft of a proposed amendment to the Constitution (PEC) for the creation of a national guard responsible for protecting the federal administration buildings in the capital. It would be a federal force linked to the Ministry of Justice.
For the government, the Federal District has several federal government buildings, which should be protected by the central administration itself instead of having their integrity protected by the teams of the governor of the capital. This way, federal institutions are more susceptible to political “fluctuations”.
Security Problems Observed
Ricardo Cappelli concluded in the final intervention report that the Military Police of the DF did not draw up an operational plan for 8 January, despite the various intelligence information that pointed to the risk of invasion and depredation of public buildings.
According to the intervenor, the former commander of the PM Fábio Augusto Vieira acted directly during the acts of 8 January, making calls and requesting reinforcement in policing. Although he was personally operating in the field, evidence indicates that the colonel lost the ability to lead his men as his requests for reinforcements were neither considered nor heeded.
Inquiries, Investigation and Punishment
Even though the intervention has come to an end, other actions against the rioters and people that funded the event are still being carried out, and authorities promise to punish everyone. On Wednesday (01/01), Superior Electoral Court (TSE) President Alexandre de Moraes said that those responsible for the acts will answer for the crimes committed. Moraes stressed that the punishments will reach the executors of the invasion and depredation of the headquarters of the three Powers, their instigators and financiers. Moraes’ speech took place at the opening session of the work of the Electoral Justice in 2023.
No Date to Return
On Saturday (28/01), Senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL) said that his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL), is on vacation in the United States and has no date for him to return to Brazil. He also sought to defend his father, who has been accused by political adversaries of being responsible for the incidents in Brasília. Flávio claimed that his stay in the United States has nothing to do with the fear of him being punished for the coup attacks. For the senator, if they want to blame the father for the attacks, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) must also be “responsible” because he was already in charge of the Executive at the time.
Pressure for Extradition
However, US Senators believe that former President Bolsonaro is to blame for the riots in the Brazilian capital. Nine senators from the Democratic Party presented, on Thursday (02/02), a resolution to the US Senate in which they condemn the coup acts of January 8 and relate it directly to the conduct of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The document also includes requests to President Joe Biden for brevity in the cooperation of investigations carried out by the Brazilian authorities into the episode, which includes “quick analyzes (…) of future requests for the extradition of former senior Brazilian officials”.
