Demonstrators Tried to Invade the Federal Supreme Court in Brasília

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The mood on Wednesday, September 25th, was one of tension in the Three Powers Square in Brasília, where a group of demonstrators was protesting in favor of the opening of the Parliamentary Committee of Inquiry (CPI) of Lava Toga and the “moralization of the STF [Federal Supreme Court]”.

With criticism and offenses fired at members of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), a group of people dressed in green and yellow tried to tear down the fences surrounding the outer area of the court to invade the supreme court building, which led police to fire tear gas to disperse the crowd.

A state police officer was struck by a rock hurled by a protester, but his condition is not serious, according to Estado/Broadcast Político. He was assisted by the STF’s medical department.

The smell of tear gas reached the STF headquarters building, which led security guards to hastily close the court’s windows in an attempt to prevent it from circulating within the premises.

The gas, however, invaded the court, frightening guests and employees who were attending the STF’s plenary session in the afternoon. Firefighters distributed masks to the public.

The security guards also kept the plenary doors closed for a while in order to prevent the tear gas from penetrating the area where the 11 Justices were working.

Session

Despite the tension in the Three Powers Square, the Supreme Court resumed the session later in the afternoon that discussed the habeas corpus petition of a former Petrobras manager who discussed the right of a defendant to file briefs in criminal proceedings after the briefs submitted by co-defendant whistleblowers.

The result of this court judgment could lead to the nullification of more Lava Jato convictions and, eventually, benefit former President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The discussion of the dispute, that is, whether a defendant can speak on the record after the whistleblower co-defendants, so as to refute any accusations, should lead the eleven Court members to review the opinion last month that overruled the conviction of former president of Banco do Brasil and Petrobras Aldemir Bendine.

Source: Estadão

More: Brazil news in English, every day from The Rio Times.