Brazil Sentences Four for Plot to Assassinate President Lula
BRASÍLIA – Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced three military officers and a federal police officer to lengthy prison terms for their involvement in a conspiracy to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva prior to his 2023 inauguration. The sentencing comes amid ongoing legal fallout from attempts to overturn the 2022 presidential election results and follows a separate 27-year prison sentence handed to former President Jair bolsonaro for his role in the anti-democratic plot.
the plot aimed to prevent Lula da Silva from assuming office after defeating Bolsonaro in the 2022 election, effectively keeping the far-right former leader in power. the four convicted individuals were found guilty of planning the implementation of the broader scheme,which included targeting other high-ranking officials for assassination.
Sentences ranged from 21 to 24 years, tho the individuals will not begin serving their time until all appeals are exhausted. bolsonaro’s appeal of his own sentence was rejected Friday; he continues to maintain his innocence.
The conspiracy, dubbed “Green and Yellow Dagger” after the colors of the Brazilian flag, extended beyond lula, with plans to kill Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who also presided over the trial. Additional members of the group received shorter jail sentences, starting at one year and eleven months.
Justice Flavio Dino stated that Brazil “flirted with and almost fell into a chasm of institutional darkness” due to the plot, describing it as an attempt to arrest and kill opponents, revoke the constitution, and suppress the free press.
The case has also drawn international attention, notably prompting former U.S. President Donald Trump, a known ally of Bolsonaro, to announce a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, a move experts characterized as a low point in the two countries’ 200-year relationship.Relations have since improved following recent communications and a meeting between President Lula and President Trump in Malaysia.
