On Tuesday (10/01), the Senate approved the decree of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva that determined federal intervention in public security of the Federal District. The measure is valid until 31 January 2023. With the intervention, the Union takes command of public security in the Federal District (DF) in place of the local government. For many political analysts, the incident will likely represent a worsening in the relations between the new government and the country’s security forces, which largely supported former President Jair Bolsonaro.
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Approval by Congress
The intervention was already in effect since 8 January, when the decree was signed by President Lula, but it needed to be approved by the Chamber and the Senate. The federal deputies had already approved the presidential decree on the night of Monday (09/01).
The Intervenor
The intervention decree appointed Justice Ministry Executive Secretary Ricardo Garcia Cappelli as intervenor. According to the decree, Cappelli is subordinated to the President and may request financial, technological, structural and human resources from the Federal District to carry out the measures necessary for the intervention.
Protest Began After the Election
President Lula ordered the intervention after supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro invaded and destroyed the headquarters of the Three Powers, in Brasília. This attack is part of several protests that have been happening since the end of the elections and the defeat of Bolsonaro. His supporters believe that the elections were rigged, and they want a military coup to be carried out, so Bolsonaro can continue in power.
The Attacks
The police and the government of the DF, responsible for security at the site, were criticized for their actions in the face of vandalism promoted by the rioters.
Videos that circulated on social networks show what appears to be the police colluding with rioters. In one of them, a group of police officers make way and watch as the vandals invade the Congress building. Other videos show that Brazilian Army soldiers made the action of the Military Police of the Federal District (PMDF) difficult. There was even a discussion between the military police and soldiers, who seemed to protect the rioters. In one of the videos, the Commander of the Army’s Presidential Guard Battalion, Colonel Paulo Jorge Fernandes da Hora, appears to be arguing with agents of the PM-DF riot police while rioters vandalized the Congress. The officer, responsible for escorting President Lula (PT) and protecting the presidential palaces, is accused of disrupting the actions of officials and favoring supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Testimonies made to the police by arrested demonstrators indicate that the Army tried to help rioters to leave the building before they were arrested. One of the prisoners stated that “an Army commander told the demonstrators to use an emergency exit, inviting them to leave, but in the sequence the PMDF troops arrived and arrested him and other individuals”.
GSI Investigated
The Federal Police is seeking to identify Institutional Security Office (GSI) agents suspected of facilitating access for vandals to the Planalto Palace. Members of the government began to suspect that there had been inaction on the part of the GSI, which is responsible for looking after security within the Planalto. Even in the face of the risk of attacks to public buildings, the agency did not reinforce the security of the Presidential Palace.
The GSI has been a source of distrust among PT members since before taking office. In the Jair Bolsonaro (PL) government, the cabinet was headed by General Augusto Heleno, considered a firce ally of Bolsonaro. In November, Lula’s security team, coordinated by the Federal Police, waived the presence of GSI agents at the headquarters of the transitional government, believing that they could spy and hamper the works.
Arrests
On Tuesday (10/01), former commander of the Military Police of the Federal District Fabio Augusto Vieira was arrested by order of Federal Supreme Court (STF) Minister Alexandre de Moraes. On Saturday (14/01), his superior, Federal District Public Security Secretary Anderson Torres was also arrested by Moraes’ order after returning from Miami, Florida, US.
Minister Moraes explained his decision by stating that that the conduct of Torres and Vieira are very serious and put the lives of President Lula (PT), federal deputies, senators, and court ministers at risk. The minister also said that the Federal Police, which investigates the attacks and requested the arrests, pointed out several omissions, in thesis malicious, practiced by those responsible for the public security in the Federal District and which contributed to the attacks.
