security scheme for January 8, 2024

About to complete a year, the demonstrations on January 8th, which ended with vandalism in Praça dos Três Poderes, in Brasília, are once again worrying public authorities. They plan a series of actions to prevent a similar situation from occurring again on the Esplanada dos Ministérios, with possible protests and conflicts.

Coordinated by the Ministry of Justice, members of the Public Security Secretariat of the Federal District, Military Police, heads of Legislative and Judiciary Security have met in the federal capital to plan measures that guarantee the security of the event that will take place in the Federal Senate plenary, in January 8, 2024, in celebration of democracy.

The acting Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Capelli, said it will be a “historic day”. “The content of the act will be the celebration of democracy, reinvigorated, strengthened, after what happened at the beginning of 2023. It will be an act of unity, an initiative by President Lula that was embraced in a historic way by the other powers”, pointed out Capelli. He replaces Flávio Dino while the holder of the portfolio takes vacation, before assuming the position of minister of the Federal Supreme Court.

For Capelli, the union of federal bodies with those of the Federal District around security shows the integration between powers and institutions, and participate in the Integrated Action Planning (PAI) to be announced by next week.

Access to the Federal District will be monitored close to January 8th

Although the security authorities do not have on their radar any demonstration or act called for that could repeat the episodes from the beginning of this year – which culminated in acts of vandalism and a series of consequences, such as the removal of the governor of the DF, Ibaneis Rocha (MDB) , federal intervention and several arrests -, Ricardo Capelli announced that the entrances to Brasília will be monitored by the Federal Highway Police, the National Land Transport Agency, due to the event called by President Lula, which will have the participation of heads of the Three Powers and several governors.

“It will be more about monitoring any atypical movements related to acts that undermine the powers. Brazil is a free and democratic country, demonstrations are welcome and typical of democracy”, stated the interim minister in an interview with GloboNews.

According to people close to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), the objective of the symbolic act scheduled to take place in the National Congress is to prevent the “8th of January from falling into oblivion”.

Policing on the Esplanada dos Ministérios will be reinforced for the event on the 8th

So far, according to public security authorities, there is no indication of closure of the entire Esplanada dos Ministérios area. They met to agree on the details of the security scheme last Tuesday (26).

“The impacted area will be from Avenida José Sarney. There will be reinforcement of policing and security throughout the central region and integrated action by the DF security forces. We will use the maximum strength of the Military Police integrated with the federal government”, said the acting Secretary of Public Security of the Federal District, Alexandre Patury.

The entire central area of ​​Brasília, where the ministries and headquarters of powers are located, will be monitored by images from cameras, drones and information that will be sent to the Brasília Integrated Operations Center (CIOB).

The DF Military Police and the Federal Supreme Court (STF) will close the perimeter of Praça dos Três Poderes and access to people and vehicles without authorization will not be allowed. To achieve this, there will be the presence of specialized troops and, if necessary, search lines.

All security bodies involved in organizing the event on January 8, 2024 will meet again until the 4th, with the definition of the actions of each sector, and the signing of the Integrated Action Plan.

January 8: almost a year later, there are still prisoners without proof and one death

After the demonstrations on January 8, 2023, which ended with vandalism at the Chamber of Deputies, Federal Senate, Federal Supreme Court and Palácio do Planalto, 2,151 suspected people were arrested on the day of the protests and the following day, January 9, in the camp in front of the Army Headquarters, in Brasília.

Soon after the events, minister Alexandre de Moraes ordered the removal of Ibaneis Rocha from the GDF and ordered the arrest of the DF PM commander, Fábio Augusto Vieira, who was participating in policing on January 8, as well as Anderson Torres, who was minister of Justice under Bolsonaro, and at the time he was the Secretary of Public Security for the Federal District.

Torres was on vacation with his family in the United States, but even so he suffered search and seizure warrants from the Federal Police, where a draft decree was found in person on a supposed state of defense at the headquarters of the Superior Electoral Court (TSE), and That’s why he was arrested upon landing in Brazil, on January 14th.

Today, 66 people suspected of participating in the acts remain detained in Brasília, most of them preventively.

Furthermore, on November 20, Cleriston Pereira, aged 46, one of those who remained in prison, despite recommendations for release by the Attorney General’s Office, died while sunbathing at the Papuda prison, in Brasília, where he was held. since January. After the death, several arrests were revoked, after an agreement with the PGR.

The Supreme Court has sentenced 30 people for participating in January 8th so far

So far, the Federal Supreme Court (STF) has convicted 30 people for the acts of January 8, with sentences ranging from three to 17 years in prison. According to the ministers, they are part of the group of so-called “executors” of the acts who are imprisoned within the headquarters of the Three Powers. Even with the case being judged by the STF, there is the possibility of appeals.

In December, the STF’s virtual plenary – where ministers cast votes remotely – began the trial of 29 actions involving defendants from January 8th. So far, only Alexandre de Moraes, rapporteur of the case, has voted to convict them all, with sentences between 14 and 17 years. But the trial only ends in February, after the Judiciary recess.