The Brazilian Federal Police on Thursday launched the 28th stage of their ongoing investigation into the January 8, 2023 riots, where supporters of former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro stormed the headquarters of all three branches of government in Brasília.
In a statement, the feds announced they are carrying out 15 search and seizure warrants and 12 personal searches across the states of Goiás, Mato Grosso do Sul, and Santa Catarina. This follows last week’s operation aimed at apprehending fugitives, some of whom have fled to neighboring countries such as Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The ongoing Federal Police investigation targets vandals, financial backers, negligent police and security officials, and those who incited the crimes carried out during the riots.
The far-right rioters aimed to create chaos and provoke a state of emergency, hoping it would enable the military to reinstate Mr. Bolsonaro as president.
In April 2023, Congressman Marcelo Crivella, an evangelical Christian preacher and a Bolsonaro ally, introduced a bill granting amnesty to the January 8 rioters.
The draft makes little effort to hide its motivation to let the January 8 rioters off the hook, saying the amnesty would benefit potential wrongdoing carried out between October 30, 2022 (the day of Brazil’s runoff presidential election) and the day the law would come into effect.
Congressman Rodrigo Valadares was designated as the amnesty bill’s rapporteur (who is responsible for the final draft of the bill). He is a staunch supporter of Jair Bolsonaro and has taken part in events with anti-democratic undertones.
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