On Monday (16), the PSOL bench filed a letter with the Ministry of Defense requesting the extinction of the so-called “black kids”, a group of the military elite that is part of the Special Operations Command (Copesp) of the Brazilian Army and operates in confidential and high-risk missions. A request for information on the functioning of the special battalions also followed from the Ministry.
Among the points of the letter, the one that calls for the extinction of the Army Special Operations Forces Battalion and the one that requests that it be ensured that the budgetary and human resources currently allocated to the aforementioned group are redirected to units of the Armed Forces “that act exclusively in accordance with constitutional precepts” says a note released by the party.
In the information request, the bench asks about the formats and content of the training offered in these units, the main operations or activities carried out in the last five years and the sources of financing and hierarchical supervision of these units, among other questions.
The movement of parliamentarians had been shown by the Estadão/Broadcast and occurred after the arrest of reserve general Walter Braga Netto on Saturday morning (14). The request was initiated by deputy Chico Alencar.
According to the Federal Police, members of the group were assigned to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT) and vice Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) by poisoning and to set up explosive devices to take the life of the minister of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes. The actions allegedly form part of a coup d’état plan that would prevent Lula from taking over the country.
PSOL had already sent requests to the STF last month for preventive detention of former president Jair Bolsonaro and Braga Netto. Copesp members were targets of Operation Contragolpe, also launched by the PF almost a month ago. The action was authorized by Alexandre de Moraes. Some members of the “black kids” have already been arrested, such as Hélio Ferreira Lima, Mario Fernandes, Rafael Martins de Oliveira and Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo.
