Intellectuals from different areas released an open letter in which they stated that ae represents a historic turning point in the country and demonstrates that Brazilian democracy is learning to defend itself.
In the text, the group highlights the unprecedented nature of the event on the 25th and says that the fact that the Court was able to prosecute, judge and hold “once untouchable figures” accountable reveals institutional learning that is rare in countries with a history of military tutelage.
“The Brazilian Republic was born under military tutelage, marked by coups, interventions and repeated attempts to limit civil power. […] The specter of praetorianism has always weighed over our democracy: the abusive intervention of the military in democratic life, whether explicit or silent”, says the letter.
“The conviction of these four military exponents [os generais da reserva Augusto Heleno, e e o ex-comandante da Marinha Almir Garnier Santos] It is, therefore, more than an individual punishment. It is a landmark with at least three deep meanings: truth, justice and memory.”
“Democracy requires vigilance, accountability and public commitment to the simple and revolutionary idea that power belongs to the population and not to weapons”, say the signatories. “Still, on November 25, 2025, the Brazilian Republic took a breath.”
The document was organized by the doctor in political science and researcher at the University of Lisbon Beatriz Rey and by the lawyer and doctor in Law from UFMG (Federal University of Minas Gerais) Lucas Paulino.
among others, the writer and sociologist Sérgio Abranches, the professor of Political Science, the anthropologist Maria Filomena Gregori, the political scientist Luciana Gross Cunha and the writer João Paulo Cuenca.
Open Letter on the Historical Significance of November 25, 2025
On November 25, 2025, Brazil experienced an unprecedented event: for the first time in our history, high-ranking military personnel were arrested to serve sentences for crimes against the democratic order. Retired generals Augusto Heleno and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, as well as former Navy commander Almir Garnier Santos, officially became convicted by the Federal Supreme Court (), with the confirmation of the final judgment of the process that recognized their criminal responsibility for their active participation in the coup attempt that sought to reverse the legitimate result of the 2022 presidential elections and usurp power in an authoritarian manner.
To this group is added Walter Braga Netto, four-star general, former Minister of Defense and former Minister of the Civil House, who in 2022 ran for vice-president on the ticket of (), defeated by Lula and Alckmin. In September 2025, Braga Netto had already been sentenced to 26 years in prison for an attempted coup d’état.
This fact cannot be treated as an institutional routine nor as a mere procedural development. It represents a historical inflection.
The Brazilian Republic was born under military tutelage, marked by coups, interventions and repeated attempts to limit civil power. Even after 1988, the separation between the elected government and the military structure was never fully consolidated. The specter of praetorianism has always weighed over our democracy: the abusive intervention of the military in democratic life, whether explicit or silent.
The 2022 coup attempt was the most recent and most serious point in this story. During Jair Bolsonaro’s government, military and civilian sectors plotted actions to weaken the electoral process, discredit the Electoral Court and encourage institutional rupture. The strategy included disinformation, institutional sabotage, political use of and encouragement of anti-democratic demonstrations. It wasn’t improvisation: it was a project.
The conviction of these four military exponents is, therefore, more than an individual punishment. It is a landmark with at least three deep meanings: truth, justice and memory.
First, the fact that the Federal Supreme Court is able to prosecute, judge and hold previously untouchable figures accountable reveals institutional learning that is rare in countries with a history of military tutelage. We are not facing a full democracy, but a democracy that, little by little, is learning to defend itself.
Second, coup attempts cannot be treated as political divergence or administrative error. These are crimes against popular sovereignty. Holding leaders (and not just those who execute them) accountable is a condition for breaking the historical cycle of impunity that, in 1964, cost Brazil 21 years of dictatorship.
Third, the act of November 25th does not repair the past alone, but helps to build the future. A democracy is maintained not only by votes, but also by the memory of the risks faced and the courage to protect its institutional integrity.
The conviction of these soldiers, however relevant it may be, is not enough to end the coup cycle. The permanence of praetorianism in the Armed Forces requires profound institutional and cultural reforms, so that democratic rupture ceases to be a permanent temptation or an available resource. Without this structural transformation, the risk of repetition will remain alive, just waiting for a new opportunity.
Recognizing this is part of the same democratic commitment that makes it possible to hold those who attacked the Republic accountable. Because holding people accountable is one step; transforming is the challenge. And if there is something that history has tried to teach Brazil —and that we so often refuse to learn— is that no democracy survives when its citizens start to treat it for granted. It is not. Democracy requires vigilance, accountability and public commitment to the simple and revolutionary idea that power belongs to the population and not to weapons.
Still, on November 25, 2025, the Brazilian Republic took a breath. Still with scars, still with threats, still with doubts, but he breathed. Let this fact be no exception. Let it be the beginning. Because no democracy survives when those who attack it believe they are free from consequences.
