Justice Minister Greenlights Tarcísio's Visit to Bolsonaro Amidst Rising Political and Human Rights Tensions in São Paulo

Supreme Court Minister Alexandre de Moraes has authorized São Paulo Governor Tarcísio de Freitas to visit former President Jair Bolsonaro in Brasília’s Papuda prison on Thursday, January 23, marking their first meeting this year. Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year and three-month sentence for leading a coup attempt. The visit, limited to three hours under prison regulations, follows strict oversight as all non-family visits require Moraes' permission.

Tarcísio, a potential presidential candidate, has yet to declare his candidacy but is considered a prominent contender on the right alongside Bolsonaro's son, Flávio Bolsonaro, who recently launched his presidential campaign. The meeting is anticipated to address electoral strategies ahead of political parties’ August 5 deadline to finalize candidates for the October elections.

Meanwhile, serious concerns about police actions in São Paulo have escalated. A formal denunciation has been made to the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (CIDH) by the São Paulo Public Defender’s Office and human rights organization Conectas Direitos Humanos over the police operations Escudo and Verão conducted in 2023 and 2024. These operations resulted in 84 deaths and over 2,000 arrests in the Baixada Santista region but have drawn allegations of excessive force, illegal home invasions, intimidation of residents, and failure to properly investigate suspected executions.

The report highlights that family testimonies were often disregarded, favoring police accounts, while the state Public Ministry reportedly archived suspicious cases. Criticisms also include inadequate forensic procedures and mishandling of evidence. The São Paulo Secretary of Public Security (SSP) defended the operations, emphasizing the arrest of criminal leaders, seizures of 119 firearms – including restricted-use rifles – and over 3.6 tons of drugs confiscated. The SSP insists that all deaths were thoroughly investigated with legal oversight and that evidence and body camera footage were provided to authorities.

These developments underscore a turbulent intersection of judicial controls, political maneuvering, and human rights concerns in Brazil’s largest state as it approaches critical electoral and legal junctures.