Bolsonaro considers “illogical” to ask Hungarian ambassador for asylum

Former President Jair Bolsonaro informed Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes that it would be “illogical” to suggest that he would seek political asylum during his stay at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília last month.

The explanation was sent to the Supreme Court on Wednesday (Mar. 27) after the minister granted Bolsonaro 48 hours to clarify his stay at the embassy.

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On Monday (25), The New York Times reported that the former president stayed at the embassy from February 12 to 14 this year.

A few days earlier, on February 8, Bolsonaro had his passport seized by order of Moraes. This action occurred during Operation Tempus Veritatis, which is investigating an attempted coup d’état in Brazil following the results of the 2022 elections.

According to international rules, the embassy area is inviolable by Brazilian authorities. Therefore, Bolsonaro would be immune from any arrest warrant within the embassy grounds.

In the petition, Bolsonaro’s defense argues that it is “illogical” to suggest that the former president would seek political asylum at the embassy. According to the defense, Bolsonaro had no concerns about possible arrest.

The defense stated, “Given the lack of concern about pre-trial detention, it is illogical to suggest that the petitioner’s visit to the embassy of a foreign country was a request for asylum or an attempt to escape.”

The lawyers also affirmed that the former president has always been in contact with Hungarian authorities and dismissed any notions of a potential request for diplomatic asylum.

“Therefore, any conclusions drawn from the article published by the American newspaper suggesting that the former president was seeking some form of diplomatic asylum, a conclusion reached without considering his consistent posture and attitude towards the investigations directed at him, are mistaken,” added the defense.

Bolsonaro is an ally of Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, who attended the former president’s inauguration in 2018. In 2022, Bolsonaro visited Budapest, the Hungarian capital, and was received by Orbán. Additionally, the two exchange frequent public compliments.