January 8: 2-year act will see the return of restored works

Tomorrow, Praça dos Três Poderes, in Brasília, will be the stage for the second anniversary of the January 8th attacks. President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva will participate in an agenda full of public and symbolic acts that aim to highlight democratic recovery and memory.

The events will begin in the Audience Room of Palácio do Planalto, at 9:30 am, with the reintegration of works of art restored after the coup acts. Among them, a rare clock from the 17th century stands out, brought to Brazil by D. João VI in 1808. As Estadão showed, the piece was recovered in Switzerland, at no cost to the Brazilian government, in time for the celebration. The watch, of which there are only two copies in the world, had been destroyed during the 2023 attacks.

Antônio Cláudio Alves Ferreira, the mechanic who destroyed the historic clock, was sentenced by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to 17 years in prison for crimes such as coup d’état and armed criminal association. He and other defendants were also ordered to pay R$30 million in collective compensation.

The ceremony this Wednesday, 8th, will see the delivery of 21 restored works of art. At 10:30 am, the work As Mulatas, by Di Cavalcanti, valued at R$8 million, will be unveiled, which was stolen during the anti-democratic acts. A ceremony with the presence of authorities is scheduled for 11 am, in the Salão Nobre do Planalto.

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In the afternoon, Lula will walk down the Planalto ramp to participate in the “Embrace of Democracy”. The symbolic event at Praça dos Três Poderes will have representatives from the Executive, Legislative and Judiciary, as well as social movements.

With the presence of institutions such as the Brazilian Bar Association (OAB), Central Única dos Trabalhadores (CUT) and the National Conference of Brazilian Bishops (CNBB), the “Abraço” is expected to bring together around a thousand people.

The events occur at a time when Congress is discussing amnesty for those involved in the coup acts. Leaders Hugo Motta (Republicanos-PB) and Davi Alcolumbre (União Brasil-AP), potential successors in the presidencies of the Chamber and Senate, are key players in the processing of this agenda.

The event also marks progress in investigations into the coup attempt. Last year, General Walter Braga Netto became the first four-star general to be arrested on suspicion of involvement in a coup plot. He was indicted, alongside 36 other allies of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL).