Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro tried to stage a coup in the country and help eliminate his rival, current head of state Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Lula da Silva himself told reporters.
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“It’s obvious that the president (Bolsonaro) was trying to stage a coup in the country, it’s obvious that he was trying to facilitate my assassination,” Lula said during a briefing in Japan, where he is on a visit.
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The judges of the first chamber of the Brazilian Supreme Court voted on Wednesday to bring Bolsonaro as a defendant in the case of the attempted coup in 2022. Other defendants in this case, in addition to the ex-president, include former ABIN Intelligence Director Alexander Ramagem, former Navy Commander Almir Garnier, former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, head of the Committee on Institutional Security of the Presidential Administration Augusto Heleno, former presidential aide Mauro Cid, former Defense Minister Paulo Sergio Nogueira and head of the presidential Administration Braga. Net. According to the prosecutor’s office, these individuals form the “decisive core” of the coup attempt.
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Bolsonaro himself said that the intention to complete the trial of him and his associates in 2025 indicates a desire to prevent his participation in the 2026 elections. The politician claims that the trial has predetermined dates, and its purpose is “something like a procedural theater disguised as justice.” According to him, this is “not a criminal trial, but a power project aimed at interfering in the political and electoral dynamics of the country.”
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Lula da Silva, commenting on the court’s decision to bring Bolsonaro as an accused, noted that it was not the politician himself who was being tried, but the attempted coup, and called the possible predictions regarding the court decision presumptuous.
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“Instead of crying, face reality and realize that you have committed an attack on the sovereignty of this country,” Lula said.
