The powers of democracy are stronger.

The world is watching Brazil closely, observing how our republican and democratic institutions confronted and defeated the attempted coup d'état. From the arrests of the vandals of democracy on the day of the attack on the buildings of the three branches of government, to the rigorous investigations carried out by the Federal Police, with abundant evidence gathered, formal charges filed by the Public Prosecutor's Office, extensive debate between the parties, trial of the defendants by the Supreme Federal Court, and conviction of the coup plotters, with absolute guarantee of due process for the accused.

In recent days, Brazil and the world have witnessed a true spectacle of democracy – of the courage of our investigators and magistrates – of the reaffirmation of our sovereignty, of the demonstration of the solidity of our institutions, of respect for human rights and constitutional guarantees. Even under sanctions imposed by the United States government on magistrates of the Brazilian Supreme Court, further political taxation of our exported products, and even threats of military intervention in our country, our institutions conducted the trial sovereignly.

Unlike the United States, where President Donald Trump, shortly after taking office, signed executive orders pardoning those responsible for the attacks on the Capitol—when they disregarded the election results—leaving democracy mortally wounded, with scars that worsen daily, unraveling the country's institutional fabric. A divided country, rife with hatred, where fascism has taken root, of which the President himself, Donald Trump, was a victim. He escaped a gunshot attack, but recently, one of the young conservative leaders, politically close to the President of the United States, was not so lucky. A country that was once an international benchmark is entering a downward spiral that could lead it to become a pariah of democracy in the world. May God protect it from its ruler plunging it into civil war.

This historic moment in Brazil, with the sovereign condemnation of criminals who attacked the Democratic Rule of Law, leads us to reflect on the need to build resistance to attacks on democracy around the world. Just like Brazil – which has just sent a former president and his accomplices in an attempted coup to prison – our neighbor Argentina stands as a reference in the defense of democracy. There, in 1985, the Public Prosecutor's Office and the Judiciary confronted and brought to justice the members of the three military juntas that seized power, tortured, and killed more than 30 Argentinians between 1976 and 1983. The National Reorganization Process, as it was called, revealed the horrors of the Argentinian dictatorship. The courts sentenced 10 former agents to life imprisonment. 

The trial that convicted the military dictators and their accomplices for their crimes was brilliantly portrayed in the film "Argentina 1985," directed by Santiago Mitre. This case is considered, in legal circles, the second most important trial of the 20th century, after Nuremberg, which took place between 1945 and 1946 and condemned the Nazis in Germany. 

The investigations and trials of enemies of democracy in Argentina, led by prosecutors Julio Strassera and Luis Moreno Ocampo, resulted in the arrest of 1.100 people involved in the coup d'état, for their participation in torture, disappearances, and the deaths of Argentinian men and women. The Argentinian Public Prosecutor's Office produced a landmark legal document condemning high-ranking military officers and other public officials, which became a benchmark in the fight for democracy worldwide.

The scene of President Lula, along with Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, arm in arm with the presidents of the Senate, Rodrigo Pacheco, the Chamber of Deputies, Arthur Lira, and the president of the Supreme Federal Court, Rosa Weber, plus 26 governors, descending the ramp of the Planalto Palace, crossing the Praça dos Três Poderes (Three Powers Square), dodging the rubble from the attack on the buildings of the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial branches, towards the Supreme Federal Court, is forever etched in the historical memory of Brazil. It was, without a doubt, one of the highest moments demonstrating our sovereignty, the solidity of our republican institutions, and the consolidation of democracy in the largest country in Latin America. 

A moment the world witnessed, following its unfolding until the very end, as reported by the international press in prominent headlines. The investigations, the indictment, the guarantee of a full defense, and the conviction of those responsible for the attempted coup d'état became a reference point for the world. 

In confronting its past, Brazil turned the last dark page of its history, and democracy took root deeply, stronger than ever, so that we can build the sovereign democratic nation, with guaranteed human rights, free from hunger, and less unequal, that we have always dreamed of.