Top court Justice Gilmar Mendes: Coup plot sparks “indignation”
Justice Gilmar Mendes, of Brazil’s Supreme Court, said Thursday (Dec. 19) that the discovery of a plot to stage a coup d’état in the country in 2022 generates “perplexity and indignation.” As the longest-serving member of the Court, he spoke during the closing session of the year.
He also showed support for Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the rapporteur in the case investigating the coup plot. Moraes, Justice Mendes said, “fills the country with pride” for his work on the case and in defense of democracy.
“Faced with public reports that a criminal organization is planning a typical coup d’état, we must recognize that we have reached degrees of paroxysm unheard-of in Brazilian history, a scenario that generates perplexity and indignation for all of us Brazilian democrats,” he declared.
Justice Mendes also highlighted the decisions in which the Supreme Court has defended democracy—such as the ruling that confirmed that the Armed Forces do not exercise moderating power, and the convictions of those involved in the January 8 attempted coup.
“Whenever provoked, the Supreme Court, through due process of law, will know how to give the response required by the criminal case, as a way of convicting the guilty and acquitting the innocent in the exact terms prescribed by the Constitution,” he added.
The court’s activities will resume on February 1, 2025.
