Good

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, along with over 30 co-conspirators have been indicted for their attempted coup attempt.

I wish that I lived in a first world country where just could be administered like this:

The Brazilian Federal Police formally indicted former president Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday of attempting to orchestrate a coup d’état, according to an official statement. The retired far-right military officer is alleged to have sought to subvert the election results and block leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from returning to power.

Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, is among 37 individuals charged, including two retired generals who served as ministers in his administration. The police report has already been submitted to the Supreme Court, and precautionary measures have been issued, including a ban on international travel, which led to the confiscation of Bolsonaro’s passport months ago.

………

The police’s formal indictment must now be evaluated by the Supreme Court. Bolsonaro was disqualified months ago by the Supreme Court from running for office until 2030. That ruling convicted him of abuse of power, citing his use of the presidential platform to systematically undermine confidence in the security of the country’s voting system.

Investigators argue that the coup attempt failed because the conspirators failed to secure the backing of the then-commanders of the Army and Air Force, Generals Marco Antônio Freire Gomes and Carlos de Almeida Baptista. Both generals implicated Bolsonaro in the plot during their testimony as witnesses, as revealed in March.

On January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters launched a coup attempt in Brasília, storming government buildings just a week after Lula was sworn in for his third, non-consecutive term as president. To date, only the direct participants in the attack have been tried and sentenced. The Supreme Court has handed down heavy sentences to over 200 individuals, but none of those accused of planning or financing the coup attempt has yet faced trial.

The indictment follows revelations by police this week that the coup plotters had plans to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Adding to the tension, just last week, a Bolsonaro supporter detonated an explosive device outside the Supreme Court building.

For some reason this sounds strangely familiar.