Forced to flee Brazil, right-wing Zé Trovão seeks political asylum in Mexico

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Marcos Antônio Pereira Gomes, aka Zé Trovão, has requested political asylum in Mexico, while hiding from the Brazilian courts and Interpol.

Trovão is a fugitive from justice because his arrest was ordered by Federal Supreme Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes, at the request of the Prosecutor General’s Office (PGR), on charges of having promoted attacks against democratic institutions in the course of Bolsonarist demonstrations on September 7.

Trovão is one of the right-wingers prosecuted by the Brazilian judiciary for their political views based on a so-called undemocratic attack on institutions.

This situation was one of the main reasons why, on September 7, a nationwide protest action, unprecedented in its impressive size, was carried out under the leadership of Jair Bolsonaro under the slogan “freedom of expression”.

He became the main leader of truckers who took over the Ministries Esplanade in Brasilia. The protest lasted 4 days, with blockades on highways in at least 15 states in the wake of the September 7 protests. The aim was to give the Senate an ultimatum to oust Supreme Court Justices like Alexandre de Moraes.

Levi de Andrade, the activist’s attorney, confirmed the information that Trovão has requested asylum from the Mexican Commission for Refugee Aid.

The application document records that Trovão left Brazil on August 27 and reached Mexico 4 days later, on August 31. The request for asylum due to political persecution was submitted on September 3, 2021. Brazilian authorities would only find the militant’s whereabouts 6 days later, on September 9, when Interpol was triggered to search for the fugitive. He recorded videos saying that he would turn himself in, but he backed down and is still on the run.

Mexico has not yet responded to the petition.

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