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Jair Bolsonaro on April 5, 2024 in Goiânia

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Ueslei Marcelino / REUTERS

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro is under legal pressure over an alleged coup attempt after being voted out of office. The country is also wondering why he spent almost three days in the Hungarian embassy in Brasília.

Now the populist has called on his supporters for another major rally. A “big demonstration” would take place on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro on April 21, the right-wing extremist politician said in a video that was published on several online networks on Saturday.

On February 25, it is estimated that around 185,000 Bolsonaro supporters gathered for a solidarity rally in Brazil's economic metropolis of São Paulo. The rally took place shortly after a major police operation to raise suspicions that Bolsonaro and some of his close associates had planned a coup attempt following his election defeat against the current left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

During the investigation, Bolsonaro was banned from leaving the country. The allegations are based in particular on a draft decree which, according to the President of Brazil's Supreme Electoral Court (TSE), Alexandre de Moraes, was intended to prevent the "legitimately elected President" Lula from taking office.

On January 8, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed the government district in Brasília. Bolsonaro did not explicitly recognize the election victory of his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva; Before and after the election he repeatedly spoke of electoral fraud.

“Biggest fake news in Brazil’s history”

The courts have banned Bolsonaro from running for public office. On February 8th, he was ordered by the judiciary to hand over his passport to prevent him from fleeing abroad.

In his now published video, Bolsonaro described the document as “the biggest fake news in Brazil’s history.” He protested his innocence and portrayed himself as a victim of “persecution.”

At the end of March, the New York Times reported, based on footage from surveillance cameras, that Bolsonaro had spent a few days in the Hungarian embassy in Brasília shortly after the police operation against him on February 8th. The right-wing extremist ex-president wanted to “hide” there from his country’s judiciary.

Bolsonaro and his lawyers rejected this account. It was said that he was only at the embassy to exchange ideas with the government of a "friendly country."

Aside from the alleged coup attempt, Bolsonaro is also being investigated for other crimes. He is accused of forging corona vaccination certificates and embezzling gifts from other countries, such as jewelry from Saudi Arabia.

svs/AFP