Dozens died while he ran the unit and several hundred were tortured. In the early 1970s, Ustra was head of the Department of Operations and Information, an investigative unit of the Army that focused on gathering intelligence and torturing perceived enemies of the dictatorship. It was a shout-out to the military officer who had overseen the repressive apparatus that tortured Rousseff when she was imprisoned - clearly a low blow, and shocking even by Bolsonaro’s standards. Carlos Alberto Brilhante Ustra, the dread of Dilma Rousseff!” Then came Bolsonaro’s most fiery statement, which provoked gasps, boos and some muted cheers in the chamber as he delivered it: “In memory of Col. In recent decades, participants have mostly been fringe politicians of socialist leanings, but that is enough for the forum to be a bogeyman for far-right activists and fans of conspiracy theories. The São Paulo Forum, founded by the leftist Workers’ Party in its namesake city, is a conference of leftist parties and other groups from Latin America and the Caribbean - the kind of gathering that conservatives like Bolsonaro frequently bash. Surrounded by dozens of deputies, waving his hands and shouting into the microphone, Bolsonaro went on: “For the families and the innocence of children that the Workers’ Party never respected! Against communism! For freedom! Against the São Paulo Forum!” “They lost in ’64 and they lost now in 2016,” said Bolsonaro, referring to Brazil’s left and the beginning of the 1964-1985 dictatorship. Congratulations, Speaker Eduardo Cunha,” said Bolsonaro, receiving a few muddled cheers and boisterous boos when speaking about the man who spearheaded the impeachment proceedings. “On this day of glory for the people there is a man who will go down in history. But the words of Bolsonaro, known for provocative statements during a career in Congress that dated back to 1991, summed up how many conservatives were interpreting what was happening - and it had nothing to do with Rousseff’s alleged breaking of fiscal laws and sleight-of-hand budget maneuvers. The book takes an in-depth look at the 2016 impeachment fight that threatened democracy in Latin America’s most populous country and deepened visions in ways being felt to this day.įar-right Congressman Jair Bolsonaro stepped up to the microphone and began an explanation of the vote he was about to cast.īy this point, it was nearly a done deal that Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff would be impeached: 235 had voted in favor, compared to 82 against. The following excerpt is from the chapter, “If I Lose” in the book “Dilma’s Downfall: The Impeachment of Brazil’s First Woman President and the Pathway to Power for Jair Bolsonaro’s Far-Right,” written by Associated Press journalists Mauricio Savarese and Peter Prengaman.