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Paulo Henrique Arantes

A journalist for nearly four decades, he is the author of the book "Portraits of Destruction: Flashes from the Years in which Jair Bolsonaro Tried to Destroy Brazil". Editor of the newsletter "Noticiário Comentado" (paulohenriquearantes.substack.com)

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There is a law to prosecute Eduardo Bolsonaro.

Eduardo is destabilizing Brazilian republican institutions and requesting external help for this task. Wouldn't such conduct be a typical act of war against the country?

Eduardo Bolsonaro (Photo: Bruno Spada/Chamber of Deputies)

Having or not having a passport at hand is not so relevant, but it is imperative that Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) face justice for the conspiracy against Brazil that he is carrying out in the United States. The Attorney General of the Republic, Paulo Gonet, who will meet with opposition parliamentarians, therefore supporters of the third son, will have to comment on the representation to the Attorney General's Office by Congressman Rogério Correia (PT-MG), in which an investigation of 'Bananinha' is requested for actions against national sovereignty.

Law 14.197/21, which deals with crimes against the Democratic Rule of Law, is there to be applied. The law classifies as an attack against national sovereignty "negotiating with a foreign government or group, or its agents, with the aim of provoking acts typical of war against the country or invading it. Penalty - imprisonment, from 3 (three) to 8 (eight) years".

The unwary might say that Eduardo isn't plotting war or an invasion of Brazil, but his work on American soil comes very close to it, as he seeks to discredit and destabilize Brazilian institutions, especially the Supreme Federal Court, and asks for external help in this task. Wouldn't such conduct be a typical act of war against the country? If the eventual help he receives includes a territorial invasion, will he reject it? We know the answer.

It's nothing new that 'Bananinha' embodies the dream of a vassal Brazil. In March 2024, during a conversation with American journalist Tucker Carlson, he stated that Brazil is no longer a democracy or a free country after the election of President Lula. His coup-mongering is explicit when he states that judicial channels deserve to be disregarded: "it's no longer worth appealing" and "there's no one to turn to" are some of his phrases. It can be deduced that, for him and his almost-imprisoned father, other avenues remain.

Eduardo Bolsonaro has not only sought international support to denounce what he considers political persecution against his father, but has also sought to have his foreign supporters pressure Brazilian institutions in favor of his coup-plotting father. He has maintained contacts with allies of Donald Trump, hoping that the American administration will pressure the Brazilian judiciary and impose sanctions on Lula's government. Elon Musk remains on standby in this same vein. Eduardo has also suggested applying the United States' Magnitsky Act against Minister Alexandre de Moraes.

Approved in 2012, the Magnitsky Act has the power to impose sanctions on individuals involved in human rights violations and corruption. Initially, the law was created to punish Russian authorities responsible for the death of lawyer Sergei Magnitsky, who denounced a corruption scheme and died in prison in 2009 under highly suspicious circumstances.

The National Congress, unsurprisingly, is turning a blind eye. To make matters worse, the third son could become president of the Chamber's International Relations Committee. It is unacceptable that a Brazilian parliamentarian abandons his duties, is in the United States during Chamber sessions, and is not questioned about it by the House. There is an open field for procedures to be initiated in Parliament so that 'Bananinha' can explain his absence from parliamentary activities, but, as is known, there is a deeply rooted corporatism to be overcome.

* This is an opinion article, the responsibility of the author, and does not reflect the opinion of Brasil 247.