Brazilian high court sentences ex-president Bolsonaro to 27 years imprisonment for orchestrating a coup plot
In a landmark decision, Brazil's Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison for attempting a coup to remain in office after his 2022 electoral defeat.
The conviction is based on five counts, including attempting a coup, participating in an armed criminal organization, and damage qualified by violence. Prosecutors charged Bolsonaro with these counts, as well as being implicated in violence and posing a serious threat to the state's assets and listed heritage.
The trial has divided Brazilian society, with people backing the process against the former president and others still supporting him. Some observers believe the U.S. might announce new sanctions against Brazil after the trial, further straining its fragile diplomatic relations.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the trial a "witch hunt," while U.S. President Donald Trump said he was "very unhappy" with the conviction and found Bolsonaro to be "outstanding." In contrast, Thomas Traumann, a former government minister and political consultant based in Rio de Janeiro, stated that the trial of Jair Bolsonaro is the most important day for Brazil's democracy since the 1988 constitution was approved.
Justice Luis Fux, in his dissenting opinion, disagreed with the majority decision and cast the lone acquittal vote. Sen. Ciro Nogueira, who had been Bolsonaro's chief of staff, expressed support for Bolsonaro, stating that he had never seen any act from him that wasn't out of love for Brazil and absolute honesty.
Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, another of Jair Bolsonaro's sons, is seeking amnesty for his father through Congress. Bolsonaro's allies in Congress may also seek amnesty for him to alleviate the pressure on him to choose a political heir to challenge current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the general elections next year. However, Lindbergh Farias, the Workers' Party leader in the lower house, stated that the trial should bury the discussion about amnesty in Congress.
Jair Bolsonaro faces accusations of attempting to illegally hang onto power after his 2022 electoral defeat. His co-conspirators, including Gen. Braga Netto, Admiral Almir Garnier, Gen. Augusto Heleno, and Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, were also sentenced for their roles in the attempted coup.
Despite his legal woes and being previously banned from running for office until 2030 in a separate case, Jair Bolsonaro remains a powerful political player in Brazil. Former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro wrote on social media, "There is a God in heaven who sees everything, who loves justice and hates iniquity."
The court has up to 60 days to publish the ruling, and Bolsonaro's lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification after that. Bolsonaro can try to appeal the ruling before the full Supreme Court of 11 justices.
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