Brazil: Defender’s Office questions the competence of the Supreme Court to judge protesters arrested in Brasília

The Union Public Defender’s Office (DPU) sent, on Monday 17, documents to the Justice of the Supreme Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes arguing that the charges against prisoners in Brasília on January 8 are generic and that the STF has no jurisdiction to judge them.

The defense asks Moraes, the rapporteur of the case, to reject the charges and forward the cases to the competent authorities.

According to the DPU, the charges are generic for trying to fit all the accused into only two groups: people who were in the headquarters and those who went to Three Powers Square.

The defense claims that there is no individualization of the charges.

Regarding the lack of jurisdiction of the STF to conduct the proceedings, the Defender states that the people arrested do not have jurisdiction.

Thus, the DPU asks that the cases be forwarded to first-instance judges.

The DPU represents approximately 400 people in the investigation.

The Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR) has filed almost 1,400 charges against those involved in the January 8 vandalism acts.

In the early hours of Tuesday 18, the Supreme Court began its collegial analysis of the charges against one hundred protesters.

In his vote, Moraes defended making the accused defendants.

Justice Dias Toffoli accompanied his vote.

With information from Revista Oeste