Bolsonaro denies coup attempt during pro-amnesty rally
Supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro gathered on Sunday afternoon (Apr. 6) on Paulista Avenue, in downtown São Paulo, for an event where he called for amnesty for those involved in the January 8 attacks in Brasília.
In his speech, Bolsonaro voiced support for a bill currently before the House of Representatives that would grant amnesty to those convicted of anti-democratic acts. He specifically defended hairdresser Débora Rodrigues Santos, who was arrested for participating in the coup attempt and for defacing the Statue of Justice in front of the Supreme Court with lipstick.
According to the Attorney General’s Office, she joined the coup movement shortly after the 2022 elections and is suspected of destroying evidence and obstructing the work of investigators and the justice system.
As the mother of underage children, the hairdresser had her prison sentence converted to house arrest by the Supreme Court.
During his speech, Bolsonaro also said he believed he would have been arrested if he had been in Brazil on January 8—a fate he claims to have avoided by traveling to the United States on December 30, 2022. “Something warned me. If I had been in Brazil, I would have been arrested, and I'd still be rotting in jail—or even murdered.”
The former president noted the absence of his son Eduardo Bolsonaro from the event, mentioning that he had resigned as a federal representative and moved to the United States, citing political persecution. According to Bolsonaro, Eduardo is in contact with influential figures from around the world. “I hope something will come from abroad,” he added.
Ineligible
In addition to Bolsonaro, seven of Brazil’s 27 state governors attended the rally, including São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and Minas Gerais Governor Romeu Zema.
Bolsonaro has been declared ineligible for eight years, until 2030, after the Electoral Court ruled that he used a July 2022 meeting with foreign ambassadors at the Alvorada presidential palace for electoral purposes. During the event, he made unsubstantiated statements discrediting Brazil’s electoral system.
In addition to being ineligible, Bolsonaro became a defendant last month in an attempted coup case, following a unanimous decision by the Supreme Court’s First Panel. All five justices voted to accept the charges filed by the Attorney General’s Office. He will face criminal prosecution alongside seven others.
