Despite Lula’s instructions that the government base not celebrate Bolsonaro’s arrest, ministers Guilherme Boulos and Gleisi Hoffman took to social media to comment on the arrest.
The chief minister of the Secretariat of Institutional Relations began more measuredly, and praised the performance of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), in an institutional manner. “The preventive detention of Jair Bolsonaro strictly follows the rites of due legal process, observed by the Federal Supreme Court and the Attorney General’s Office at each stage of the criminal action against the attempted coup d’état in Brazil“, wrote the minister.
Afterwards, however, Gleisi raised his tone against Bolsonaro, calling him “head of the coup organization“. “In democracy, justice is fulfilled”, concluded the minister.
The chief minister of the General Secretariat of the Presidency, in a short publication, used a more celebratory tone. He said that Bolsonaro’s arrest is “a great milestone in our history” and exclaimed: “Never again dictatorship”.
The former president’s arrest was motivated by “guaranteeing public order”, according to the PF. Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Flavio, had scheduled a vigil in front of the reserve captain’s condominium for Saturday night. Still according to Moraes’ decision, the former president would have tried to violate the electronic ankle monitor.
Bolsonaro was taken to the Federal Police Superintendence, where he will be in a State room, a space reserved for authorities such as presidents of the Republic and other high-ranking public figures. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and former president Michel Temer were also detained in PF rooms
The decision does not yet mark the beginning of the prison sentence.
In a statement, the Federal Police reported that it had served a preventive arrest warrant issued by the STF.
On September 11, by 4 votes to 1, the ministers of condemned the and seven allies for the crimes of armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état, qualified damage due to violence and serious threat and deterioration of listed property.
Most of the defendants were sentenced to more than 20 years in prison. Despite the definition of the sentencing time, Bolsonaro and the others will not be arrested immediately. They can still appeal the decision and try to reverse the convictions. Only if any appeals are rejected can the arrests be carried out.
Last Friday (21), the former president’s defense had asked that the captain serve his sentence of 27 years and three months at home. Lawyers argue that he would not be physically fit to be sent to a regular prison, and that this would pose a risk to his life. “The Petitioner’s health situation is already deeply weakened”, says the text. Also, in the same application, the defense warns that it intends to appeal using embargoes infringing the STF on the conviction of the former president.
