Brazil’s Supreme Court on Monday granted house arrest for humanitarian reasons to Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, a military officer condemned for his role in the 2022 coup attempt, citing an Alzheimer’s diagnosis.
The Brazilian Supreme Court approved house arrest for Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira, who was previously sentenced to 21 years in prison for his involvement in the 2022 coup attempt alongside former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The decision, made by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, allows the former Minister of the Institutional Security Cabinet to serve his sentence from home due to a confirmed diagnosis of a neurodegenerative disease.
Justice de Moraes based his ruling on a medical report certifying Ribeiro’s Alzheimer’s disease, who served as Minister of the Institutional Security Cabinet during the Government of Bolsonaro (2019-2022). The medical report emphasized that a continued incarceration would “inevitably lead to progressive and irreversible cognitive deterioration”, aggravated in a prison environment “with the individual in relative isolation and lacking protective and removeding stimuli, especially family interaction and assisted autonomy.”
The Prosecutor General’s Office also endorsed the measure, deeming it exceptional but consistent with the principles of elder protection, ensuring it does not imply a revision of his sentence.
This contrasts sharply with the Court’s repeated denials of similar requests from Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years and three months for attempting to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva’s inauguration, particularly after violating his electronic ankle monitor.
Strict Conditions Imposed
The Court’s decision includes stringent conditions for Ribeiro’s home confinement:
- surrender his passport and firearm permits,
- use of an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet,
- agree to receive only his lawyers and doctors at his residence,
- prohibition of any kind of communication via telephone or social media.
The judicial order also stipulates that any movement for health reasons requires prior authorization from the Supreme Court, making exceptions only for urgent medical situations, which must be justified within a maximum period of 48 hours.
Justice de Moraes warned that if Ribeiro brokes one of these conditions he will result immediate returned to a non-domiciliary prison regime.
Aiding the Coup Plot
Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira was found guilty of being part of the core group that supported the 2022 coup d’etat, which aimed to overturn the results of the presidential elections.
During Bolsonaro’s administration (2019-2022), Ribeiro leveraged his position within the government to endorse actions designed to delegitimize the electoral process, thereby contributing to the broader conspiracy.
The recent ruling highlights the complex intersection of justice, humanitarian concerns, and accountability within Brazil’s political landscape, especially concerning high-profile figures involved in attempts to subvert democratic institutions.
From teleSUR English via This RSS Feed.