RIO DE JANEIRO: The United States has a Jair Bolsonaro problem.
The far-right former Brazilian president flew to Florida two days before his term ended on Jan. 1, having challenged the Oct. 30 election he lost to leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. But Bolsonaro left behind a violent movement of election-denying supporters, who on Sunday stormed Brazil's presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court.
After watching supporters of former U.S. leader Donald Trump invade the U.S. Capitol two years ago, Democratic President Joe Biden is now facing mounting pressure to remove Bolsonaro from his self-imposed exile in suburban Orlando.
"Bolsonaro should not be in Florida," Democratic Congressman Joaquin Castro said on CNN. "The United States should not be a refuge for this authoritarian who has inspired domestic terrorism in Brazil. He should be sent back to Brazil."
Castro added that Bolsonaro, a Trump acolyte now based in the former president's home state, had "used the Trump playbook to inspire domestic terrorists."
Fellow Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez echoed those views.
"The US must cease granting refuge to Bolsonaro in Florida," she tweeted on Sunday. "Nearly two years to the day the U.S. Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil."
BIG DECISION
Their comments turn up the heat on Bolsonaro, and highlight Washington's big decision about his future.
Bolsonaro had a fractious relationship with Biden, and was already on weaker ground back home in Brazil after losing broad protections from prosecution when he stepped down as president. Those probes could lead to his arrest or prevent him from running for office, Reuters reported last week.
John Feeley, who was the U.S. ambassador to Panama from 2016-2018 when the Central American nation sought the extradition of its former President Ricardo Martinelli, said the most immediate threat to Bolsonaro would come if his U.S. visa were revoked.
"The United States - or any sovereign nation for that matter - may remove a foreigner, even one who entered legally on a visa, for any reason," Feeley said. "It's a purely sovereign decision for which no legal justification is required."
A U.S. consular official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Bolsonaro had almost certainly entered on an A-1 visa, which are reserved for heads of state.
Normally the A-1 is canceled after the recipient leaves office. But with Bolsonaro having left Brazil and entered the United States before his term ended, the official suspected his A-1 is still active.
The official, who has experience with the cancellation of visas for former heads of state, said there is no set time limit on how long someone can stay in the United States on an A-1.
"We're in uncharted territory," the official said. "Who knows how long he is going to stay?"
A State Department spokesperson said "visa records are confidential under U.S. law; therefore, we cannot discuss the details of individual visa cases."
BASELESS CLAIMS
Bolsonaro may be in no hurry to return to Brazil, where he is accused of instigating a violent election denial movement with baseless claims of electoral fraud.
Lula, who had already pledged to go after Bolsonaro if needed during his Jan. 1 inauguration speech, on Sunday blamed his predecessor for the invasion.
"This genocidist ... is encouraging this via social media from Miami," Lula said. "Everybody knows there are various speeches of the ex-president encouraging this."
In a tweet on Sunday, Bolsonaro rejected Lula's accusations and said the invasion had crossed the line of peaceful protest.
Bolsonaro was already under investigation in four Supreme Court criminal probes before stepping down as president.
In the wake of Sunday's invasion, legal experts said he may find himself the target of a Supreme Court probe, led by crusading Justice Alexandre de Moraes, into anti-democratic protests, which has already yielded several arrests.
If Moraes were to sign an arrest warrant while Bolsonaro is in the United States, the former president would be technically required to fly back to Brazil and hand himself over to police. If he refused, Brazil could issue an Interpol Red Notice to prompt his arrest by U.S. federal agents.
If detained on U.S. soil, Brazil would then have to formally seek his extradition. Bolsonaro would be free to appeal in the U.S. courts, or he might attempt to seek asylum, although that offers no guarantee of preventing his eventual return to Brazil.
Former Panamanian President Martinelli was extradited from the United States back to Panama in 2018, three years after Panama's Supreme Court issued its arrest warrant.
Reuters
Mon Jan 09 2023
Joe Biden is now facing mounting pressure to remove Bolsonaro from his self-imposed exile in suburban Orlando. - Filepic
PM baharu Britain mansuh rancangan hantar migran ke Rwanda
Dasar Rwanda akan dibatalkan kerana hanya kira-kira 1 peratus pemohon suaka akan dikeluarkan dan ia akan gagal bertindak sebagai penghalang.
AWANI Pagi: Berita tumpuan & menarik di astroawani.com [07 Julai 2024]
Fokus Awani Pagi bersama Afiezy Azaman & Farhan Hakimi
- PM seru umat Islam istiqamah, hayati hijrah Rasulullah
- Analisis pasca PRK Sungai Bakap
- Fahmi jumpa penyedia platform media, tangani isu buli siber
#AWANInews #AWANIPagi
- PM seru umat Islam istiqamah, hayati hijrah Rasulullah
- Analisis pasca PRK Sungai Bakap
- Fahmi jumpa penyedia platform media, tangani isu buli siber
#AWANInews #AWANIPagi
Kerajaan MADANI insafi keputusan PRK Sungai Bakap - PM Anwar
Negara sedang meniti fasa penyesuaian dengan gelombang perubahan yang sedang giat dilaksanakan di bawah hala tuju baharu Kerajaan MADANI.
Tergamak pukul ibu kandung depan jiran
Kejadian itu dipercayai berlaku di Kecamatan Stabat, Kabupaten Langkat di Sumatera Utara, Indonesia.
Ribuan warga Israel gesa pilihan raya baharu
Demonstrasi yang dilakukan hampir setiap minggu itu bagaimanapun masih belum mengubah landskap politik atau menjatuhkan Netanyahu.
PM baharu Britain kata rancangan hantar migran ke Rwanda dimansuhkan
Perdana Menteri baharu Britain, Keir Starmer berkata, rancangan kontroversi kerajaan terdahulu untuk menghantar migran ke Rwanda kini "dimansuhkan".
Ribuan warga Israel gesa pilihanraya baharu
Ribuan penunjuk perasaan anti-kerajaan berkumpul di Tel Aviv pada Sabtu menggesa pilihan raya baharu yang berpotensi menggantikan Perdana Menteri Benjamin Netanyahu, yang memimpin salah satu gabungan berhaluan kanan paling dalam sejarah Israel.
Demonstrasi yang kerap dilakukan setiap minggu itu bagaimanapun masih belum mengubah landskap politik, dan Netanyahu masih menguasai majoriti stabil di parlimen.
Demonstrasi yang kerap dilakukan setiap minggu itu bagaimanapun masih belum mengubah landskap politik, dan Netanyahu masih menguasai majoriti stabil di parlimen.
Kekejaman zionis: 16 rakyat Palestin maut dalam serangan Israel di sekolah
Sekurang-kurangnya 16 orang terbunuh dalam serangan Israel ke atas sebuah sekolah yang melindungi keluarga Palestin akibat kehilangan tempat tinggal di tengah Gaza pada Sabtu.
Kekejaman zionis: UK cari keseimbangan dalam perang di Gaza
Britain mahukan kedudukan seimbang dalam perang di Asia Barat dan akan menggunakan usaha diplomatik untuk memastikan gencatan senjata dicapai dan tebusan yang dipegang oleh Pejuang Hamas dibebaskan.
Kekejaman zionis: Hamas terima cadangan A.S runding tebusan - Laporan
Hamas telah menerima cadangan Amerika Syarikat untuk memulakan perbincangan mengenai pembebasan tebusan Israel, 16 hari selepas fasa pertama perjanjian yang bertujuan menamatkan perang Gaza.
Bekas Presiden Brazil protes, mahu rampasan kuasa tentera
Demonstrasi diadakan selepas beliau menjadi sasaran serbuan polis awal bulan ini susulan siasatan atas dakwaan cuba melakukan rampasan kuasa.
Mahkamah Agung Brazil perintah bekas presiden Bolsonaro serah pasport
Mahkamah Agung Persekutuan (STF) Brazil pada Khamis memerintahkan bekas Presiden Jair Bolsonaro menyerahkan pasport.
Bolsonaro sekali lagi dilucut hak bertanding pilihan raya
Bolsonaro tidak dibenarkan untuk bertanding dalam pilihan raya sehingga 2030.
Ringgit mata wang paling lemah di Asia tahun ini
Ringgit mencatatkan penurunan hampir enam peratus pada separuh pertama 2023 sekali gus mendahului kejatuhan dalam kalangan mata wang negara Asia.
Bekas Presiden Brazil dilarang bertanding pilihan raya
Panel hakim mahkamah Brazil sebulat suara membuat keputusan itu selepas mendapati beliau telah menyalahgunakan kuasanya.
Hakim Mahkamah Agung Brazil arah kem penyokong Bolsonaro dimusnahkan
Alexandre de Moraes mengarahkan pihak polis menangkap mana-mana peserta penunjuk perasaan yang masih berada di jalanan.
Lula da Silva angkat sumpah Presiden Brazil
Dalam ucapannya, beliau menyifatkan pesta demokrasi yang diadakan membuktikan pilihan rakyat.
Bolsonaro tidak iktiraf keputusan pilihan raya umum Brazil
Walaupun kalah tipis, Bolsonaro berkata beliau akan terus mengikut keluhuran perlembagaan undang-undang negara.
Pilihan raya Presiden Brazil: Lula da Silva menang tipis ke atas Bolsonaro
Lula da Silva meraih 50.8 peratus undi berbanding Bolsonaro 49.2 peratus setelah 98.8 peratus pengundian dikira.
Presiden Brazil sah enggan terima vaksin COVID-19
Sejak dijangkiti pada Julai 2020, Bolsonaro sering mendakwa beliau mempunyai antibodi yang tinggi untuk melawan virus tersebut.