Brazil’s top court imposes 17-year sentence, in first case against rioters who stormed the capital

By MAURICIO SAVARESE
Associated Press

SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s Supreme Court has handed a 17-year prison sentence to a supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro who stormed top government offices on Jan. 8 in an alleged bid to forcefully restore the right-wing leader to office. Aécio Lúcio Costa Pereira, 51, is the first of several participants in the uprising to be prosecuted. In January, cameras at the Senate filmed him wearing a shirt calling for a military coup and recording a video of himself praising others who had also broken into the building. The majority of the 11 justices of the court ruled that Pereira committed five crimes, including staging a coup. Pereira has denied any wrongdoing and claimed he took part in a peaceful demonstration of unarmed people.