RIO DE JANEIRO — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has pushed back against accusations that he played a key role in an attempted coup, which allegedly aimed to keep him in power following his defeat in the 2022 elections. He characterized the claims as ambiguous and portrayed them as the product of an authoritarian regime that seeks to fabricate internal adversaries.
The legal charges against Bolsonaro were announced by Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet, who indicated that the former president concocted a multi-faceted strategy to cling to power. Among the allegations are elaborate plots involving intentions to harm current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, both of whom Bolsonaro has previously regarded as adversaries.
In a statement issued through social media platforms X and Instagram, Bolsonaro contended that the tactic of labeling opposing political figures as coup plotters is not unprecedented. He argued that authoritarian regimes typically create false narratives of internal threats to rationalize their actions, which often include suppression of dissent and arbitrary detentions.
Bolsonaro drew parallels between his situation and the experiences of opposition leaders in several other countries governed by leftist regimes, such as Venezuela, Cuba, and Nicaragua. He insisted that such regimes often resort to vague accusations while masquerading their authoritarian tendencies as concerns for democracy or national sovereignty.
The accusations stem from a thorough investigation carried out by Federal Police, culminating in a report spanning 884 pages. This document outlines a sophisticated plan believed to have been implemented to undermine the electoral process, which included instilling distrust in the voting system, drafting a decree to lend a façade of legality to their actions, pressuring military leaders to collaborate, and instigating a riot in the nation’s capital. According to police findings, the refusal of high-ranking military officials to participate in the coup was pivotal to its collapse.
Brazil’s Ministry of Defense emphasized the importance of the prosecutor’s report, aiming to clarify the distinction between individual actions and those of the armed forces. Defense Minister José Mucio Monteiro suggested that the charges mark another stride toward accountability in the nation’s governance.
Antônio José Teixeira Martins, a law professor at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, remarked that Bolsonaro’s response seems to be a tactic in the political arena designed to undermine the credibility of the report by labeling it as persecution. He asserted that the indictment is grounded in substantial facts and legal principles.
In response to inquiries from reporters regarding the recent charges, President Lula maintained that the presumption of innocence is a fundamental right. He stated that if those accused can substantiate their claims of innocence, they should be acquitted. However, he emphasized that should a court find them guilty of attempting a coup or plotting violence against any officials, there must be accountability for their actions.
