One more for participating in the coup acts was arrested in , bringing the number of people captured to three. Wellington Luiz Firmino was detained this Monday (18) when trying to escape to Chile, in Jujuy, northwest of the country.
Firmino was on a motorbike and tried to bypass the Jama border post. He was detained by the Gendarmería (security force), who then identified that there was an arrest order against him, people with knowledge of the matter reported privately to the report.
Against the 61 fugitives linked to the crimes of January 8, 2023 that Brazil requested extradition. Last week, two of them had already been detained. The instance has already been notified about Firmino’s arrest.
People who know Firmino claim that he was trying to cross to Chile and then go to the United States, probably going all the way overland. In Brazil, he was sentenced to 17 years in prison.
He published videos on his social networks after being detained. “My idea was to escape, but, with my name in Interpol, I was arrested on my first visit to the police,” he says. “May Justice be served, may I have my freedom and live my life. Having an opinion shouldn’t land anyone in prison, but today Brazil is worse than Venezuela.”
He also criticizes the (Supreme Federal Court) and states, without evidence, that the arrest request against the 61 Bolsonarists was issued because the Argentine president, , is out of the country. Milei is in Rio de Janeiro for the G20 chiefs summit.
At the end of one of the videos, in an ironic tone, he drinks mate and says he is at the police station while the judge in the case is probably asleep. It’s a public holiday in Argentina this Monday. “I love you, Brazil, don’t forget me”, says Firmino.
He filmed himself on top of the tower on the day of the coup acts in January 2023. He was convicted of the crimes of abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, qualified damage, criminal association and deterioration of listed property. In 2024, he asked for refuge in Argentina.
By mid-October, 185 Brazilians had requested refuge in Argentina. For comparison purposes, in 2023 there were only three. The majority (109) are men, and the largest share of requests occurred in the month of May (47).
As the report revealed, the decision on the arrest warrants was made by judge Daniel Rafecas. The fugitives will have hearings with the magistrate, who will decide on extradition, and will be able to appeal to the Supreme Court of Justice. There are still no dates set for this hearing, and the request for the release of one of the detainees has already been denied.
On the last occasion it was questioned about the topic, Javier Milei’s government stated, through its spokesman, Manuel Adorni, that the Casa Rosada would only follow court orders with regard to decisions on extradition. Milei is an ally of ().
