One month later, Brasília’s Jan. 8 uprising continues to ripple
The attacks of pro-coup rioters on government buildings in Brasília took place one month ago today. The ripples of the January 8 uprising, however, have not stopped reverberating: arrest warrants are still being executed, and the individuals involved continue to have their assets blocked.
Yesterday (Feb. 7), Brazil’s Federal Police carried out the fifth phase of its Operation Lesa Pátria. Launched on January 20, the crackdown aims to identify people who participated, financed, or encouraged the storming and ransacking of the Planalto presidential palace, the National Congress, and the Supreme Court.
With authorization from the Supreme Court, at least 20 people have been arrested as part of the police efforts. They are suspected of engaging in the crimes of violence against the democratic rule of law; attempted coup; aggravated damage; criminal association; incitement to crime; and harm against protected property. The destruction at the lower house alone is estimated at BRL 3.3 million.
Besides the detentions, another 920 people who were in the campsite installed for about two months outside the Army headquarters, also in the capital, are still in custody.
As per official data, 614 men are being held in the Provisional Detention Center of the Papuda Penitentiary, and 306 women are detained in the Women’s Penitentiary, also known as the Colmeia (Portuguese for “beehive”). Another 459 suspects were released, but must wear electronic anklets and comply with a series of judicial restrictions.
These 1,379 arrests were ordered after the camp was dismantled. According to Executive Secretary Ricardo Cappelli, tasked with the special security scheme in the Federal District, the “small groups” of tents set up in front of the military facilities soon became an organized structure, “instrumental for the development of their plans to disturb public order.”
Compensation
To bring compensation for the ransacking of public facilities and a portion of the historical and artistic property displayed in the buildings, court authorities in Brasília ordered the freezing of BRL 18.5 million in assets of people and companies under investigation for allegedly helping to finance the attacks.
Altogether, Brazil’s Office of the Attorney-General is targeting 176 people and at least seven companies believed to have chartered some of the buses that arrived in Brasília before the uprising on January 8.
