Judge Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Friday morning ruled against conservative former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro over the judge's refusal to return his passport to attend President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration. The appeal was summarily dismissed.
Mr. de Moraes, self-proclaimed “anti-fake news” campaigner and reporter for several open media outlets. case Against Bolsonaro, reportedly The government upheld his ruling early Friday and forwarded the case to the attorney general's office, which must file a response within five days according to local law.
Thursday de Moraes rejected Bolsonaro received an email invitation from the Trump-Vance Inaugural Committee through his son, Rep. Eduardo Bolsonaro, asking for his passport to be temporarily returned so he can travel to the U.S. to attend President-elect Trump's inauguration. .
Former President Bolsonaro is prohibited Following his narrow defeat in the 2022 presidential election, de Moraes will be banned from leaving Brazil from February 2024 after ordering local police to seize his passport as part of a broader investigation into an alleged “coup” plot. are.
De Moraes claims that Bolsonaro has not provided sufficient documentation to prove that he was invited to the presidential inauguration on January 20, and if Bolsonaro is allowed to travel, he will flee the country and seek political asylum. He justified his refusal by claiming that he had given “indications” that he might apply. .
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice justified The ruling comes in a previous statement from Bolsonaro, in which he “publicly expressed support for the escape of those convicted.” January 8th attacks and their secret stays abroad, especially in Argentina. ”
Immediately after the verdict, former President Bolsonaro said: spoke Speaking to CNN Brazil, he said his legal team plans to appeal, arguing that “people who have been convicted in the past have been given passports to travel.” Bolsonaro also compared his situation to that of President-elect Trump in recent years.
“What I am experiencing here is the same as what President Trump is experiencing in the United States. He suffered an assassination attempt there and I suffered an assassination attempt here,” Bolsonaro told CNN Brasil. Ta.
Bolsonaro's lawyers filed a now-dismissed appeal on Thursday night, asking Brazil's Supreme Court to reconsider its ruling against the former president. local stores published Bolsonaro's lawyers submitted a copy of the appeal, arguing that some of the arguments advanced by de Moraes in the ruling “do not reflect reality and do not constitute a basis for preventing the applicant from traveling.”
The former president's lawyers claim Bolsonaro's passport was confiscated “without any difficulty” when police confiscated it from Bolsonaro's Liberal Party (PL) headquarters in Brasilia. He pointed out that he did not have any. Bolsonaro's lawyers argued that this was “contrary to the attitude of those who are considering or trying to prevent the application of criminal law.”
“Since then, the precautionary measures imposed on the petitioners have been fully complied with and respected. Therefore, the occasional return of passports within a limited and justifiable period could jeopardize this reality. There is nothing to suggest that,” the document says. “It is certain that upon his return, his passport will immediately be returned to the Supreme Federal Court.”
The now-dismissed appeal cites Bolsonaro's attendance at Argentine President Javier Millei's inauguration ceremony in December 2023 and visits to Brazilian territory as “concrete” evidence that he intends to remain in Brazil. He hopes to return home quickly. Mr. Bolsonaro's lawyers have warned Mr. de Moraes, who used Mr. Bolsonaro's statements about the escape of those involved in the January 8 attack, to justify his sentence, that such statements are protected under free speech. He refuted the matter by claiming that it had been done.
In their appeal, Bolsonaro's lawyers asked that if de Moraes does not reconsider the decision, the case should be brought to trial “by a competent panel, taking into account the urgency of the case.”
Former President Bolsonaro had not publicly commented on the rejection of the appeal at the time of going to press.
At the time Bolsonaro's lawyers filed their appeal, his office said on social media that denying de Moraes permission to travel to the U.S. was a serious matter not just for him but for “millions of people.” issued a statement calling it a “disappointing disappointment”. He represents the Brazilian people and the enduring friendship between Brazil and the United States. ”
“President Trump's invitation to Mr. Bolsonaro symbolizes the deep ties between the two largest democracies in the Americas,” the statement said. “The decision to prevent Mr. Bolsonaro from attending this very important event diminishes Brazil's standing on the world stage and sends a worrying message about the state of democracy and justice in our country.”
The statement denounced the ruling as another example of the law being used as a weapon against a former president to “neutralize him as a political opponent in court so that we do not confront him at the polls.” did.
“Lula's government clearly learned from its mistakes in the United States, where the judicial system was used for political gain. But it did not act quickly enough to crush its political opponent, Donald Trump. has overcome this judicial action, and so will I,” the statement read.
Mr Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, posted a video on social media on Thursday ahead of the appeal's dismissal, denouncing Mr de Moraes' refusal and accusing Brazil's judiciary of political accusations against his father, the former president. He accused them of persecution.
Christian K. Caruso is a Venezuelan writer who chronicles life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here
