The Brazilian Supreme Court continues to escalate the persecution against former President Jair Bolsonaro and officials from his government, using as pretext their alleged participation in what the court has controversially termed a ‘coup attempt’ during widespread protests in January 8th, 2022.
(American readers are bound to find this story eerily familiar, right?)
Washington Post reported:
“Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been named a target in a federal investigation into whether his government plotted a military takeover of the country, police officials told The Washington Post Thursday, and has been given 24 hours to surrender his passport.
The revelation came as federal police launched a large search-and-seizure operation early Thursday morning that targeted some of Bolsonaro’s closest advisers and aides, including former justice minister Anderson Torres and Bolsonaro’s running mate, Walter Braga Netto.”
They insist on the clearly fictional narrative that J8 was a ‘coup attempt’, when it was a riot facilitated by Lula’s government who failed to call for troop reinforcements.
“[Bolsonaro] and his allies have fended off probes and allegations of corruption that have ranged from lying to U.S. authorities about Bolsonaro’s vaccination status, improper handling of state jewelry and using government surveillance to spy on opponents.
But the most significant has long been an investigation, overseen by the Brazilian supreme court, into whether the Bolsonaro government planned to subvert Brazilian democracy and maintain its grip on power despite the outcome of the 2022 presidential election.”
American journalist Glenn Greenwald, whose late husband was a Brazilian senator, was deeply involved in the unraveling of Bolsonaro’s government, but now has become a critic of Lula. He wrote on X:
The investigation centers on Bolsonaro’s claims that the 2022 election, won by Lula, was fraudulent, as well as a big protest that invaded state buildings on Jan. 8, 2022. The court sees this as a coup attempt.
Among those targeted today are top Generals and military officials.
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) February 8, 2024
The absurd idea of a sophisticated takeover planned by military but executed by NO ONE but unarmed and unorganized protesters is laid in the WaPo excerpt below:
“For months before the election, Bolsonaro and his top allies made unsubstantiated allegations in public and on social media that the Brazilian electoral system had been stained by fraud and could no longer be trusted. Police now say those remarks were part of a plot to provide political cover for a military takeover if the election didn’t go their way. Police say Bolsonaro officials also undertook logistical and tactical planning, in coordination with military officials, to execute the takeover.”
On any normal world and any normal country, these charges wouldn’t go anywhere. But this is Brazil, 2024. Anything goes, if the overlords of the Supreme Court say so.
Bolsonaro is quoted in Brazilian media as saying: “I left office more than a year ago, and I’m still suffering implacable prosecution. Forget me. You now have another person governing the country.”
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