Presidents of the Chamber and Senate will not participate in the ceremony, amid tension between Powers over a project that revises penalties for criminals; Since 2023, the STF has convicted 638 defendants for the attacks
This Thursday (8), marks three years since the attacks on the headquarters of the Three Powers, in . The date, which has become a milestone in the country’s recent political history, will be remembered with official ceremonies and acts in defense of the Democratic Rule of Law. The objective of the celebrations is to reinforce the solidity of institutions and the memory of the events of 2023, preventing similar episodes from happening again.
President Luiz Inácio da Silva will lead a ceremony at Palácio do Planalto, scheduled for this Thursday morning. The event, entitled “Unshakable Democracy”, should bring together ministers, Judiciary authorities and representatives of civil society. At the same time, the Federal Supreme Court () will also hold a special program, including the opening of the exhibition “8 de Janeiro: Hands of Reconstruction” and debates on the preservation of institutional memory.
Absences from the Legislature
Despite the institutional nature of the event, the event at Palácio do Planalto will not be attended by the heads of the Legislative Branch. The president of , (União-AP), and the president of , (Republicanos-PB), informed that they will not participate in the ceremony.
The absence of Congress leaders occurs at a time of tension between the powers, exacerbated by the processing of the Dosimetry PL, approved by the Senate in December last year. The project, which awaits presidential sanction or veto, proposes changes to the calculation of penalties for crimes against the Democratic Rule of Law. The expectation that President Lula will veto the text during or shortly after the January 8th celebrations is pointed out as one of the factors for the distancing of parliamentary leaders this year.
President of the Chamber of Deputies, Deputy Hugo Motta, and President of the Federal Senate, Senator Davi Alcolumbre
Remember
The attacks of January 8, 2023, which celebrate three years this Thursday, were the culmination of an escalation of political tension. The episode was marked by the invasion and depredation of the National Congress, the Planalto Palace and the Federal Supreme Court by angry supporters of the former president. In addition to the invasion, the criminals also called for the cancellation of the elections, military intervention, the return of AI-5 and the impeachment of the STF minister.
The invasions began around 3pm, when police barriers were broken down on the Esplanada dos Ministérios. The parliamentary and forensic recess at the time meant that the buildings were empty of authorities, but public property suffered severe damage, much of it irreversible. Works of art, historic furniture and physical structures were destroyed.
Further investigation revealed that the acts were not isolated, but preceded by camps in front of barracks and roadblocks. The institutional response involved federal intervention in public security in the Federal District and the arrest of hundreds of those involved in the following weeks.
Judicial balance
Over these 36 months, the Judiciary’s response to the attacks resulted in significant numbers. According to the most recent balance released by the Supreme Court, almost 1,200 people have already been held responsible for the acts.
To date, the STF has sentenced 638 defendants. Of this total, around 279 were sentenced for serious crimes — such as attempted abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, coup d’état and qualified damage —, receiving sentences that, in some cases, reach 17 years in prison. Others convicted of crimes of lesser offensive potential received milder or rights-restricting sentences.
In addition to the convictions, more than 550 people signed the Criminal Non-Prosecution Agreement (ANPP). These defendants, who were responsible for crimes of incitement and criminal association (generally linked to the camps in front of the barracks), confessed to their crimes to avoid trial and imprisonment, pledging to perform community service and pay fines. The balance also shows that 10 people were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
Currently, around 112 convicts are serving their sentences in a closed regime, while 61 people remain at large, with extradition requests in progress. The material damage to public coffers also generated a joint sentence for those involved, stipulated at R$30 million as collective moral damages.
Memory
Three years later, the date serves not only as a reminder, but as a continuous warning. Social and trade union movements also organized demonstrations in several capitals across the country for this Thursday, under the slogan “in defense of democracy, without amnesty for coup plotters, for the veto of the Dosimetry PL”, calling for a full veto of the project that eases the sentences of those convicted of the acts.
View of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) building, in Brasília
For the Federal Supreme Court, January 8th should be treated as a “day not to forget”. The Court’s ministers have reiterated that the punishment of those responsible and the restoration of physical spaces symbolize the resilience of Brazilian democracy.
