São Paulo, Brazil – Brazilian Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday ordered the extradition of 63 Brazilian nationals residing in Argentina.
Brazilian citizens are under investigation for their alleged involvement in the January 8, 2023 attacks on Brazil’s government headquarters by supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro following his defeat in the country’s elections.
The request for extradition was officially submitted to the Moraes Justice Office by the Federal Police.
On Wednesday, the Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs sent the Supreme Court’s request to its embassy in Buenos Aires, ensuring that the list is forwarded to Argentine authorities. Once the extradition request is accepted, local judicial officials will discuss the matter. Notwithstanding existing mutual extradition agreements, Argentina retains the sovereign right to accept or reject Brazil’s petition.
According to Brazil’s Federal Police, the 63 people entered Argentina bypassing standard immigration protocols. Investigators report that they may have crossed the border hidden in car trunks, on foot or by boat across rivers. Most of those wanted were under electronic surveillance, but officials suspect that these monitoring devices were dismantled during their escape.
(photo: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil)
In June of this year, the Argentine government provided Brazil with a list of the names of about 60 nationals wanted by the Brazilian justice system and living in its territory. Subsequently, the Federal Police began formulating extradition requests for these individuals.
However, Brazilian officials believe the number of those involved in the January 8 events who have left the country may exceed the 63 identified by Argentina. The Federal Police estimate that around 180 individuals are currently at large, with some possibly hiding in Uruguay and Paraguay after illegally entering the countries, which also share borders with Brazil.
Read more: Argentina confirms over 100 petitions for Brazilian refugees; does not confirm whether it has any connection to the January 8 attacks on the Brazilian government
The ideological link between Argentine President Javier Milei and former Brazilian President Bolsonaro is thought to have influenced at least a third of these suspects to seek asylum in Argentina. Some are said to have filed formal requests for political asylum under Mile’s administration.
On January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters surrounded and vandalized government buildings in the capital Brasília, rejecting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s electoral victory over Bolsonaro. They sought to instigate an institutional rupture that would allow Bolsonaro to retain power, allegedly with the support of factions within the military.
In the chaos, millions of dollars in damage were caused to Brazil’s Supreme Court, Congress and the Planalto Palace, the official workplace of the president.
(photo: Marcelo Camargo/Agência Brasil)
So far, at least 226 individuals have been convicted of crimes, including armed criminal association, violent suppression of democracy, attempted coup, qualified harm and destruction of protected property.
The sentences handed down by the Supreme Court vary based on the specific crimes attributed to each defendant, with the most severe reaching up to 17 years in solitary confinement.
