Five Brazilians convicted for their participation in the January 8, 2023, coup attempt in Brazil will be extradited from Argentina, where they had fled seeking political asylum.
Ana Paula de Souza, Joel Borges Correa, Joelton Gusmão de Oliveira, Rodrigo de Freitas Moro Ramalho, and Wellington Luiz Firmino have been in detention in Argentina since late last year, after their extradition was requested by Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
They are part of a group of 61 convicted supporters of former president Jair Bolsonaro who escaped to Argentina after the violent attacks on Brazil’s institutions. Their sentences range from 13 to 17 years in prison.
The ruling was issued by Judge Daniel Eduardo Rafecas of Buenos Aires Criminal Court No. 3, who had already stated in 2024 that all fugitives captured in Argentina would go through extradition proceedings. During the hearing, the detainees appeared handcuffed and escorted by officers from the Argentine Federal Penitentiary Service.
Alongside the federal prosecutor’s office in Argentina, Brazil was represented by local lawyers hired by the Office of the Attorney General (AGU). After the ruling, defense lawyers told CNN Brasil they will appeal to Argentina’s Supreme Court.
Another arrest near the border
On Tuesday (2), 53-year-old Brazilian Sirlene de Souza Zanotti, also convicted for the January 8 attacks, was arrested in Argentina while attempting to cross the border into Paraguay.
She was detained by Argentina’s National Gendarmerie in the city of Posadas, Misiones province. Like the others, she is the target of an STF extradition request.
