Lula promises prosecution, more than 1,500 detained in wake of Brazil capital riots

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At least 1,500 people have been detained after Sunday’s riots by supporters of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to Brazil’s Justice Ministry. The violence in Brasília, the capital, was the most significant threat to democracy in Latin America’s largest nation since a 1964 military coup.

President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva on Monday promised to bring to justice the rioters who vandalized the country’s National Congress, Supreme Federal Court and presidential office. “The terrorists who promote the destruction of public spaces in Brasília are being identified and punished,” he tweeted. “Tomorrow we will resume work at the Presidential Palace. Democracy forever. Good night.”

Bolsonaro, who has not conceded the election loss and whose radical supporters cling to unsubstantiated fraud claims, is in Florida. He reportedly spent the final days of his presidency, and the first days of Lula’s, in Orlando — a move that could be meant to help him avoid legal trouble in Brazil, some experts have observed. He was admitted to a hospital, he wrote in a tweet. His wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, said on Instagram that he had been under observation for abdominal pain.

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If Bolsonaro entered the United States on a diplomatic visa, he would have to depart at the end of the month or apply for a different visa, the State Department said Monday amid mounting questions over the ex-president’s legal status in Florida and calls by some U.S. lawmakers for him to be removed from the country. The White House said that while it had not yet received any requests from Brazil regarding Bolsonaro’s “visa status,” it would “treat seriously” any inquiries.

In the run-up to Lula’s inauguration on Jan. 1, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters had set up camps at military installations across the country — including the headquarters of the armed forces in the capital. Despite all evidence to the contrary, the bolsonaristas were apparently convinced Brazil’s generals would revolt against Lula on Inauguration Day. When that didn’t happen, Brazilian officials say, the messaging appeared to shift — to provoking military action through a show of public force.

In a joint statement, President Biden, Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador and Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau condemned the “attacks on Brazil’s democracy and on the peaceful transfer of power.”

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