The former president of Brazil took refuge in the Hungarian embassy: under Orban’s wing

Brazilian authorities have summoned the Hungarian ambassador to seek an explanation as to why Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsonaro hid in the embassy of a European country.

Brazil’s Foreign Ministry summoned Hungary’s ambassador to explain why the South American country’s former president Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights “hiding” in the Hungarian embassy in Brazil last month as federal police investigators zeroed in on some of his closest allies, The Guardian reports. .

Security footage obtained by the New York Times showed that in early February – four days after two of Bolsonaro’s aides were arrested on suspicion of plotting to overthrow the Brazilian government – the right-wing populist took refuge in an embassy a short drive away from the presidential palace once occupied by Bolsonaro.

The New York Times reported that Bolsonaro’s stay at the embassy suggested he was “trying to use his friendship with fellow far-right leader, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, in an attempt to evade the Brazilian justice system as he faces criminal investigation at home.” “

On Monday, Bolsonaro confirmed the report, telling Brazilian website Metrópoles: “I will not deny that I was at the embassy… I will not say where else I was. I have a circle of friends with some heads of state around the world. They are worried. I talk to them about issues of interest to our country. Full stop. The rest is speculation,” the media quotes him as saying.

In a statement, the former president’s lawyers said he was at the embassy “to maintain contact with the authorities of a friendly country.” Alternative interpretations are “a work of fiction that has no connection with the reality of facts” and are “fake news,” it added.

Bolsonaro, who lost power in late 2022 after being defeated in a presidential election by his left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, faces a series of criminal investigations related to allegations he falsified Covid vaccination records he tried to siphon expensive foreign gifts and, most seriously, that he was plotting to overthrow the government. the government of his successor.

As The Guardian recalls, on February 8, Bolsonaro was forced to surrender his passport as part of a federal police investigation into the alleged coup attempt on January 8, 2023, when Bolsonaro supporters rioted in the capital. Two close aides, Marcelo Costa Camara and Filipe Martins, were arrested and searches were carried out at addresses linked to former influential members of the Bolsonaro administration.

That evening, Orbán tweeted a photo of himself shaking Bolsonaro’s hand and offering some words of encouragement. “An honest patriot. Keep fighting, Mr. President!”

Four days later, on Monday, February 12, at 9:34 p.m., a black sedan appeared at the gates of the Hungarian embassy in Brazil, according to images obtained by the New York Times. Three minutes later, Ambassador Miklos Halmay appeared to admit his visitor. Bolsonaro was escorted inside.

The former president reportedly remained at the embassy until the afternoon of February 14, when the ambassador waved him off.

Bolsonaro did not explain why he decided to visit the embassy. However, he publicly expressed fears that he would suffer the same fate as former Bolivian President Jeanine Áñez. In 2022, Áñez was sentenced to 10 years in prison after she was found guilty of helping organize the alleged 2019 coup that brought her to power after overthrowing President Evo Morales.

Before his election defeat, Bolsonaro said he saw only three possible futures for himself: prison, death or victory. The New York Times video suggests a fourth alternative may now be considered: a new life as a lodger at the Hungarian embassy, ​​where under international law he cannot be arrested.

Reports of Bolsonaro’s two-day embassy break have prompted calls for him to be detained to prevent him from fleeing justice. “Bolsonaro’s attempt to hide in the embassy is a classic motive for preventive detention,” tweeted former national justice minister Augusto de Arruda Botelho.

Many social media users mocked the former president using the hashtag “Bolsonaro fujão,” which roughly translates to “Bolsonaro running away.”

The Hungarian ambassador reportedly remained silent during his 20-minute meeting with Brazilian diplomats on Monday afternoon.