The trial of the three core members of the so-called coup plot, consisting of army soldiers and federal police officers known as “black children,” resumed in the First Chamber of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) at 9:15 a.m. this Wednesday (12/11). The group was charged by the Attorney General’s Office (PGR) with five crimes, including an attempted coup.
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This Wednesday’s session will be dedicated to the oral arguments of the defense of four more defendants: Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo, Ronald Ferreira de Araujo Junior, Sergio Ricardo Cavaliere de Medeiros and Vladimir Matos Soares.
The first person to hold the hearing was Lt. Col. Rodrigo’s lawyer, Jeffrey Scichini. “As long as I have the breath of life within me, I will fulfill my role. I hope that history will remember that there was a lawyer who did not give in.”
In oral argument, Mr. Scichini referred to the PGR’s accusation that Mr. Bezerra “played a leading role in field actions aimed at the surveillance and neutralization of public institutions.” He then countered that Dolly’s client did not take part in the meeting that took place on November 12, 2022, at the home of General Braga Netto, nor on November 28, 2022, at the residence of Márcio Nunez de Rezende’s father.
“How can Colonel Azevedo be the leader if he was not even involved in this planning stage? He was in Goiania,” Sichini argued.
On Tuesday (11/11), lawyers for Mr. Bernardo Romao Correa Netto, Mr. Estevam Calles Teofilo Gaspar de Oliveira, Mr. Fabricio Moreira de Bastos, Mr. Hélio Ferreira Lima, Mr. Márcio Nunez de Resende Junior, and Mr. Rafael Martins de Oliveira held oral arguments for the defendants.
This trial is part of Criminal Procedure No. 2,696. According to the complaint filed by PGR, the group was involved in monitoring and planning attacks against Republic authorities.
Federal police discovered that this center was preparing a plan called the “Green and Yellow Pistol” to assassinate STF President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (PT), Vice President Gerardo Alcumín (PSB), and Minister Alexandre de Moraes.
Who are the three central defendants?
Bernardo Roman Correa Net – Army Colonel
Estevam Callus Teofilo Gaspar de Oliveira – Reserve General
Fabricio Moreira de Bastos – Army Colonel
Helio Ferreira Lima – Army Lieutenant Colonel
Marcio Nunez de Rezende Jr. – Army Colonel
Rafael Martins de Oliveira – Lieutenant Colonel
Rodrigo Bezera de Azevedo – Army Lieutenant Colonel
Ronald Ferreira de Araujo Jr. – Army Lieutenant Colonel
Sergio Ricardo Cavaliere de Medeiros – Army Lieutenant Colonel
Vladimir Matos Soares – Federal Police Officer
The resumption of the trial was scheduled by Minister Flavio Dino, President of the First Panel, following a request from Minister Alexandre de Moraes, rapporteur of criminal acts related to the coup attempt. Mr. Dino called for an extraordinary session to be held from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m. on November 11, 12, 18, and 19, and a regular session from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. on the afternoons of the 11th and 18.
PGR seeks conviction
In its indictment, PGR sought the conviction of nearly everyone in the group. The only defendant to make a different request was Lt. Col. Ronald Ferreira de Araujo Junior, who, according to Attorney General Paulo Gone, should only answer for inciting a crime and not for the first five crimes committed by others.
According to the PGR, Araujo Jr. participated in the creation and distribution of the so-called “coup letter,” a document aimed at persuading the population and the military to support the collapse of the system. At the time, army commander General Freire Gómez interpreted the document as an attempt to pressure the military to join the coup.
However, for the Ministry of Public Affairs, the lieutenant colonel’s actions were not so serious. The charges were therefore dismissed, leaving only the charge of inciting military hostility against constitutional authority, which carried a sentence of three to six months in prison.
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