The First Committee of the STF forms the majority to condemn the Prime Minister’s DF leadership for its omission on 8 January

The First Bench of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) formed a majority on Thursday the 4th to condemn the leadership of the Military Police of the Federal District for deliberate omissions during the undemocratic acts that occurred on January 8, 2023.

Minister Cristiano Zanin accompanied Rapporteur Alexandre de Moraes and Flavio Dino, and they gathered a majority to condemn the five colonels accused of sabotaging the security operation that was supposed to protect the buildings of the three powers. The trial takes place in the virtual plenary session of the First Committee and remains open until December 5, which is the deadline for Minister Carmen Lucía to register her vote.

Last week, Moraes had already voted in favor of sentencing the military police command in the Federal District to 16 years in prison, stating that officers had sabotaged the security operation at Praça dos Três Poderes to encourage protesters to enter the STF, Congress and the Planalto Palace.

The rapporteur stressed in the vote that “the institutional security apparatus in the Federal District was deliberately neutralized by those responsible for its activation,” pointing to the use of an insufficient number of individuals, the absence of specialized forces, the use of police officers in training and the lack of effective barriers, in addition to the absence of leaders in critical areas during attacks.

The conviction affects five officers:

• Colonel Fabio Augusto Vieiraformer Commander-in-Chief of DF PM;
• Colonel Klepter Rosa GonsalvesFormer Deputy Commander-in-Chief.
• Colonel Jorge Eduardo Naimi Barreto;
• Colonel Paulo José Ferreira de Souza Bezerra;
• Colonel Marcelo Casimiro Vasconcelos Rodriguez.

The conviction includes five crimes: attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, qualifying damages, deterioration of listed property, and improper omission.