The defense of Army lieutenant colonel Rodrigo Bezerra Azevedo once again asked the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to resume family visits. The suspension was ordered in December by Minister Alexandre de Moraes after the soldier’s sister tried to enter the prison with a headset, a USB cable and a memory card hidden in a panettone box.
In the request sent to the STF on Thursday (9), lawyer Jeffrey Chiquini requested that visits be resumed remotely, via videoconference, for the lieutenant colonel’s wife and daughter. As an alternative, family members waived their right to privacy and offered to be monitored by military personnel during visits.
The defense also argues that the suspension of visits is disproportionate and violates the principle of individualization of the sentence, since the incident with the panettone was caused in isolation by Rodrigo Bezerra Azevedo’s sister, without the military’s knowledge or participation. “This measure would only be legitimate if there was proof of the direct involvement of the custodian or an obvious risk to the security of the prison establishment,” says the petition.
At the end of December, an Army report sent to the STF detailed the episode. The metal detector identified the material hidden inside the panettone box taken by the soldier’s sister to prison. The discovery resulted in the seizure of the items and the opening of an investigation into the possible violation of article 349-A of the Penal Code, which punishes the entry of unauthorized communication equipment into prisons.
The defense had already presented another similar request last week, which was rejected. Despite this, lawyers insist that Moraes’ decision should be reviewed. “The conduct of the aforementioned visitor was carried out in isolation and without any relationship with the custodian and other family members, a fact that must be considered for the correct analysis of the case.”
Rodrigo Bezerra Azevedo has been preventively detained at the Planalto Military Command, in Brasília, since November, as part of the Federal Police (PF) Countercoup operation.
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He and four other soldiers are accused of participating in an alleged plan for a coup d’état, including the murder of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT), Geraldo Alckmin (PSB) and Alexandre de Moraes. The defense says that he was the target of a frame-up and that evidence was planted in the PF investigation to incriminate him.
Lieutenant Colonel Rodrigo Bezerra Azevedo, a graduate of the Army Special Forces, remains in custody while investigations continue. The incident involving the soldier’s sister is still the subject of analysis to determine whether there was an attempt at illicit facilitation in the prison environment.
