Augusto Heleno Ribeiro Pereira (born 29 October 1947) is a Brazilian politician coup articulator and retired

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of highest military ranks, high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air forces, space forces, and marines or naval infantry. In some usages the term "general officer" refers t ...

of the Brazilian Army. He was military commander of the Amazon and Chief of the Department of Science and Technology of the Army. Heleno has declared positions against official politics, particularly about the attitude of the international community in regards to

Haiti Haiti (; ht, Ayiti ; French: ), officially the Republic of Haiti (); ) and formerly known as Hayti, is a country located on the island of Hispaniola in the Greater Antilles archipelago of the Caribbean Sea, east of Cuba and Jamaica, and ...

and the indigenous politics of the

Brazilian government The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative o ...

. During

Jair Bolsonaro Jair Messias Bolsonaro (; born 21 March 1955) is a Brazilian politician and retired military officer who has been the 38th president of Brazil since 1 January 2019. He was elected in 2018 as a member of the Social Liberal Party, which he turn ...

presidential campaign President most commonly refers to: *President (corporate title) *President (education), a leader of a college or university * President (government title) President may also refer to: Automobiles * Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese fu ...

, the candidate invited Heleno as his running mate in the election, but his party refused. The general was then invited for Minister of Defence of Bolsonaro's government. However, the nominated minister stepped back and was chosen for the Institutional Security Cabinet.

Military career

Heleno graduated as Aspirant of cavalry in 1969, at the Military Academy of Agulhas Negras, placing first in his cavalry class. He was also the first in the cavalry class in the Officials Improvement School (EsAO) and Army Command and Staff School (ECEME), receiving the silver Marshal Hermes medal with three crowns. As

Major Major (commandant in certain jurisdictions) is a military rank of commissioned officer status, with corresponding ranks existing in many military forces throughout the world. When used unhyphenated and in conjunction with no other indicators ...

, Heleno joined the Brazilian mission of instruction in

Paraguay Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

. As

Colonel Colonel (abbreviated as Col., Col or COL) is a senior military officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries, a colonel was typically in charge of ...

, he commanded the Preparatory School for Army Cadets (EsPCEx) in Campinas and was

military attaché A military attaché is a military expert who is attached to a diplomatic mission, often an embassy. This type of attaché post is normally filled by a high-ranking military officer, who retains a commission while serving with an embassy. Opport ...

in the Brazilian Embassy in

Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...

, also accredited in Brussels. As Official General, Heleno was commander of the 5th Armored Cavalry Brigade and of the , chief of the Army Social Communication Center and of the Chief of Staff of the Army Commander. From June 2004 to September 2005, he was the first military commander of the

United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti The United Nations Stabilisation Mission in Haiti (french: Mission des Nations Unies pour la stabilisation en Haïti), also known as MINUSTAH, an acronym of the French name, was a UN peacekeeping mission in Haiti that was in operation from 2004 t ...

(MINUSTAH), made up of 6,250

Blue Helmets Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...

from 13 countries, of which 7 were Latin Americans. During his time in Haiti he was known for leading a United Nations armed assault on Cité Soleil that killed dozens of people including

Dread Wilme Emmanuel Wilmer (known popularly as Dread Wilme) was a Haitian criminal, rebel, and anarchist killed in a United Nations armed assault on Cité Soleil that killed dozens of people. The assault was led by Brazilian general Augusto Heleno and was ...

. Similarly to

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

an ambassador

Juan Gabriel Valdés Juan Gabriel Valdés Soublette (Santiago, June 2, 1947) is a Chilean political scientist, diplomat and former minister during the Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle presidency. Between 1973 and 1976 he studied political science at Princeton University in the ...

, special representative of the

Secretary-General of the United Nations The secretary-general of the United Nations (UNSG or SG) is the chief administrative officer of the United Nations and head of the United Nations Secretariat, one of the six principal organs of the United Nations. The role of the secretary-g ...

and chief of the mission, and of the Latin American governments, General Heleno expressed his disapproval at the strategy adopted by the international community about Haiti. He was succeeded in the MINUSTAH command by General Urano Teixeira da Mata Bacelar, who committed suicide in

Port-au-Prince Port-au-Prince ( , ; ht, Pòtoprens ) is the capital and most populous city of Haiti. The city's population was estimated at 987,311 in 2015 with the metropolitan area estimated at a population of 2,618,894. The metropolitan area is define ...

, four months later, in January 2006. As military commander of the Amazon, General Heleno contested the indigenous politics of the government of president

Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (; born Luiz Inácio da Silva; 27 October 1945), known mononymously as Lula, is a Brazilian politician, trade unionist, and former metalworker who is the president-elect of Brazil. A member of the Workers' Party, ...

, who characterized the policies as "unfortunate, if not chaotic" during a speech in the Military Club in Rio de Janeiro, at the time of the demarcation of the indigenous land of Raposa/Serra do Sol. He stated that the indigenous "gravitate around our squads because they are completely abandoned". His last occupation in the active service was as chief of the Department of Science and Technology. On 9 May 2011, in a ceremony in the Army Headquarters in Brasília, Heleno retired and defended the 1964 military regime, after 45 years of military life.

Life after retirement

General Heleno acted as security and military issues consultant of the Grupo Bandeirantes, where he collaborated being a commentator in the broadcasters' schedule. Heleno was also Communication and Corporative Education director of the

Brazilian Olympic Committee The Brazilian Olympic Committee or BOC ( pt, Comitê Olímpico do Brasil – COB) is the highest authority in Brazilian sport and the governing body of Brazilian Olympic sport. It was officially founded on June 8, 1914, but World War I cause ...

(COB). In 2013, he was convicted of authorizing illegal grants. On 18 July 2018, there was a rumor that General Heleno would be nominated as candidate for vice presidency of Brazil, along with Deputy

's coalition. However, he denied the candidacy for not being of his party interest, but kept supporting Bolsonaro's candidacy for

President of Brazil The president of Brazil ( pt, Presidente do Brasil), officially the president of the Federative Republic of Brazil ( pt, Presidente da República Federativa do Brasil) or simply the ''President of the Republic'', is the head of state and head o ...

and was subsequently invited for the

Ministry of Defence {{unsourced, date=February 2021 A ministry of defence or defense (see spelling differences), also known as a department of defence or defense, is an often-used name for the part of a government responsible for matters of defence, found in states ...

. However, ten days later it was confirmed that Bolsonaro had chosen him to run the Institutional Security Office of the Presidency of the Republic. He is the son of Ari de Oliveira Pereira and Edina Ribeiro Pereira, is married to Sônia Pereira and had two children: Renata and Mário Márcio. On 18 March 2020, Heleno tested positive for

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by a virus, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The first known case was COVID-19 pandemic in Hubei, identified in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

, - , - , - , - {{DEFAULTSORT:Heleno, Augusto 1947 births Living people Brazilian generals United Nations military personnel Politicians from Curitiba Brazilian politicians convicted of corruption Government ministers of Brazil