Since Brazil’s judiciary began a crackdown on individuals accused of participating in the January 8, 2023 attacks on the country’s government headquarters, following the defeat of former president Jair Bolsonaro by Luiz Inácio Lula de Silva, around 180 fugitives remain at large.
Brazil’s Federal Police have previously suggested the men may have fled to neighboring Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
Argentina’s migration office reported in October that 181 Brazilians sought asylum between December 2023 and September 2024. All of these cases remain pending, although all applicants can remain in Argentina under refugee status while their claims are being processed.
A recent request for public information sent by Latin America Reports to the Uruguayan Refugee Council revealed that 23 Brazilian nationals have sought asylum in Uruguay since 2023. It is not clear how many – if any – are being sought from Brazil in connection with the attacks. of the government.
As in Argentina, the Uruguayan Refugee Council has confirmed that none of the 23 asylum requests made by Brazilian nationals since 2023 have been approved or rejected. Currently, a total of 49 asylum applications from Brazilian citizens remain pending, including those made before 2023.
In January 2024, the Uruguayan Consulate in Brazil said there was a group of 84 Brazilians seeking asylum in Uruguay.
According to Article 14 of Law no. 18076, any Uruguayan public authority “shall refrain from the decision to deport an asylum seeker or refugee from the national territory until a final decision is taken against the refugee case. If necessary, the UNHCR will seek assistance from the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to resettle the refugee in a third country.”
It continues, “A decision ordering the deportation of a refugee or asylum seeker may only be taken for well-founded reasons of security or public order and must be in accordance with applicable legal procedures.”
Earlier, three women who were convicted for their role in the January 8 attacks sought refuge at the Uruguayan consulate in the Brazilian city of Santana do Livramento, which borders Uruguay. They were identified as Alethea Verusca Soares and Rosana Maciel Gomes, who faced 16½ years and 14 years in prison respectively, and Jupira Silvana da Cruz Rodrigues, who also received a 14-year sentence after her trial was initially suspended.
After reportedly crossing the border into Uruguay, the three fugitives now live in Argentina, where they were interviewed by country.
Last week, the Brazilian Federal Court published a partial summary of the verdicts of those involved in the January 8 attacks.
So far, 265 people have been found guilty of armed criminal association, criminal damage, damage to protected heritage, violent abrogation of the Democratic State of Law and attempted coup.
They received sentences ranging from 15 to 17 years in prison. In addition, 476 non-prosecution agreements were signed, allowing those indirectly involved in the uprising and accused of less serious, non-violent crimes to confess and avoid prison. Four people were found not guilty.
