Brazil Supreme Court orders arrest of “Black Kids” in coup plot
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supreme Court of Brazil, ordered the imprisonment of six military personnel known as the Kids Pretos (“Black Kids”) - members of an Army special forces group - and a Federal Police agent convicted in a coup plot during the administration of Jair Bolsonaro.
They are part of Nucleus 3 of the coup d’état case and were indicted for planning tactical actions to kidnap and kill Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022.
The arrests were ordered after the trial ended and all appeals were exhausted.
Last month, the First Chamber of the Supreme Court denied the defendants’ final appeals. The ruling was published last week, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the execution of the sentences.
The defendants received the following sentences:
• Hélio Ferreira Lima, lieutenant colonel: 24 years in prison.
• Rafael Martins de Oliveira, lieutenant colonel: 21 years in prison.
• Rodrigo Bezerra de Azevedo, lieutenant colonel: 21 years in prison.
• Wladimir Matos Soares, Federal Police officer: 21 years in prison.
• Sérgio Ricardo Cavaliere de Medeiros, lieutenant colonel: 17 years in prison.
• Bernardo Romão Correa Netto, colonel: 17 years in prison.
• Fabrício Moreira de Bastos, colonel: 16 years in prison.
