Associations of Military Police officers from right-wing governing states have come together in defense of the seven military police officers (Supreme Federal Court) for the coup attacks in .
Entities from São Paulo, Amazonas and Santa Catarina joined and published manifestos stating that the group acted legitimately and is the victim of a political process.
The movement gained momentum after the general assembly, in June, of the National Federation of State Military Officer Entities, an institution that brings together officers from the military police and fire departments from the 27 units of the federation.
The topic was raised by retired colonel Leonardo Moraes, president of Asof-DF (PMDF Officers Association) — an entity that was once chaired by the former head of the PMDF Operational Department, one of the seven defendants.
Although the scores do not reflect the official position of the military police in each state, Moraes states that part of the category is afraid to take a stance, even though they are uncomfortable with the situation of the police in .
In his view, public exposure is currently restricted to associations from four states because they are “corporations that are not afraid of being punished for expressing their position.”
“They decided to show their support explicitly and in writing, but they have already been following the case and this is an old position. They have always remained silent, but disagreeing. And now they have decided to put it on paper and accompany me”, he says.
The three states and the Federal District are under the command of right-wing governors: (Republicans), from São Paulo, (União Brasil), from Amazonas, (PL), from Santa Catarina, and (MDB), from the Federal District.
One of the manifestos was signed by the (Association of Military Officers of the State of São Paulo in Defense of the Military Police), a São Paulo entity known to be aligned with the former president (PL).
In a note released on August 30, the association states that the seven police officers are “subjected to an inquisitorial process that violates the most basic constitutional principles.”
The president of Defenda PM, Colonel Luiz Gustavo Toaldo Pistori, states that the entity does not discuss the merits of the trial on the January 8th attacks itself, but rather the way in which the military police officers are being judged.
The entity also criticizes what it sees as unequal treatment in relation to other security forces, such as the Legislative Police, responsible for the security of the National Congress building, the Judiciary Police, of , and the GSI (Institutional Security Office), of the Palácio do Planalto.
“It was a very complex event. I think it’s very little for you to justify that only these police officers were responsible or guilty in the event”, says Pistori, who also presides over Fermesp, a federation that brings together eight associations of military police officers in São Paulo.
The other two notes are signed by Aopbmam (Association of Police Officers and Military Firefighters of Amazonas) and by ABVO (Association and Club of State Military Officers of Santa Catarina).
The Amazonas entity points out that there is a “selective criminalization of public agents” and says that the process “more resembles a political trial than an impartial and technical investigation”.
“What we are witnessing is the incrimination of military police officers as pieces on an ideological board, where truth and justice take a backseat to feed narratives convenient to certain political sectors”, states Aopbmam.
In the same vein, the Santa Catarina association says that “the national political dispute remains fierce and, at times, projects responsibilities and accusations onto these professionals that do not correspond to the reality of their work.”
The trial of the seven police officers, reported by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, was passed by the Supreme Court without further explanation and still has no new date: first in June and then in August, when it entered and left the agenda of the virtual plenary twice.
The group includes two former commanders of the Brasília Military Police, Colonel Fábio Augusto Vieira, chief on January 8, 2023, and Colonel Klepter Rosa Gonçalves, promoted to general commander on January 9 by the then federal intervener, Ricardo Capelli.
Naime and his former number two in the Operations Department, Colonel Paulo José Ferreira, are also defendants.
Completing the list are Colonel Marcelo Casimiro, former commander of the 1st CPR (Regional Policing Command), Major, interim head of the 8th BPM (Military Police Battalion), and Lieutenant Rafael Pereira Martins, commander of one of the shock platoons.
The Federal District’s own officers’ association stated that the police officers are “like real cattle in a slaughterhouse”, . The entity’s president also questions the idea that the trial will reach the “top” of the PMDF.
“One of the arrested officers is a second lieutenant who was commanding the riot police, he had been deployed that day. How is he being judged with the same guilt of having failed to act as the general commander of the corporation? He had no power to give orders except to 20 men, he was in charge of nothing”, says Leonardo Moraes.
