On January 8, 2023—on what has been called Brazil's own January 6—chaos, vandalism, and authoritarian overreach were prominently on display in Brasília following the defeat of President Jair Bolsonaro. But few could have expected that two years later, someone would be sentenced to 14 years in prison for writing "Perdeu, mané" ("You lost, dude") on a statue—in lipstick.
Débora Albuquerque—infamous now as "Débora do Perdeu, Mané"—was convicted of armed criminal association, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, attempted coup, and defacing protected property. Yet she was not armed, didn't lead anyone, and never breached a government building. Her entire contribution to Brazil's so-called coup attempt amounted to scrawling a message in red lipstick on the statue of The Justice outside the Supreme Federal Court.
Vandalizing public monuments may not be an ideal mode of protest. But graffiti—or pichação—has long been a form of political expression. Until recently, nobody thought it the act of a dangerous insurrectionist.
