Moraes holds 140 suspects under arrest for acts of vandalism in Brasília

Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), maintained the arrest of 140 people suspected of participating in acts of vandalism on January 8 in Brasília. According to the STF, the measures were taken to guarantee public order and the effectiveness of the investigations. Another 60 suspects were released through the application of precautionary measures, such as the use of electronic anklets, among others.

The STF reported that, so far, 1,459 custody hearings have been held, 946 by the TRF-1 and 513 by the TJDFT. The Supreme will decide in all cases who remains in prison and who can be released subject to certain restrictions. The forecast is that the conclusion of the analysis of all cases will take place by Friday (20).

very serious conduct

In his decision to convert the 140 arrests in flagrante delicto into preventive ones, Moraes pointed to evidence of several foreseen crimes related to terrorist acts, including preparatory ones, in addition to criminal association, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, threat, persecution and incitement to crime. The minister considered that the conduct was illegal and very serious, with the intention of, through violence and serious threat, to coerce and prevent the exercise of the constituted constitutional powers.

For Moraes, there was a flagrant affront to the maintenance of the democratic rule of law, in clear disagreement with the guarantee of freedom of expression. In these cases, the minister considered that there is evidence in the records of the effective participation of those investigated in a criminal organization that acted to try to destabilize republican institutions and highlighted the need to investigate the financing of the arrival and stay in Brasília of those who carried out the attacks.

In the case of the other 60 people who obtained provisional release with the application of precautionary measures, the minister considered that, although there are strong indications of authorship and materiality in the participation of the crimes, until the present moment, evidence of the practice of violence, invasion of buildings and depredation of public property. Therefore, Moraes understood that it is possible to replace the prison by means of the following precautions.