Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years in prison after being found guilty of orchestrating a failed plot to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election. The ruling, delivered by Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday, marks one of the most consequential verdicts in the nation’s democratic history.
Bolsonaro, 70, was convicted of leading a conspiracy to cling to power after losing to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The court found that his actions culminated in the violent storming of government buildings on January 8, 2023, when thousands of his supporters vandalized the Supreme Court, Congress, and the presidential palace.
Four of the five justices presiding over the case ruled against Bolsonaro, with Justice Cármen Lúcia casting the decisive vote. In her statement, she argued that the former president had incited the “insurgency” that endangered Brazil’s democratic order.
The charges included attempting to stage a coup, leading an armed criminal organization, conspiring to abolish democratic rule through violence, and multiple counts of property destruction. Together, they carried potential penalties exceeding 40 years in prison. Bolsonaro was ultimately sentenced to 27 years.
Throughout the proceedings, Bolsonaro insisted he was innocent, framing the case as politically motivated. He labeled the trial a “witch hunt” designed to prevent him from making a political comeback. His legal team has vowed to appeal the ruling.
Bolsonaro did not attend the trial sessions, citing ongoing health issues linked to a 2018 stabbing that left him with recurring medical complications. He has been under house arrest since August, after authorities accused him and his son Eduardo of trying to interfere with the judicial process.
Wider Implications
The verdict has deepened divisions in Brazil’s already polarized political landscape. Bolsonaro’s supporters argue that the ruling represents an attempt to silence the right and prevent his participation in future elections. He is already barred from holding office until 2030 for spreading false claims about the electoral system but had declared his intention to fight that ban in order to contest the 2026 election.
Internationally, the case has drawn attention. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Bolsonaro, criticized the verdict as “very surprising,” drawing parallels to his own legal troubles and calling Bolsonaro “a good man.”
For many observers, the conviction sends a powerful message about the resilience of Brazil’s democratic institutions. Justice Lúcia likened the attempted coup to a “virus” threatening society, warning that if left unchecked, it could destroy democracy itself. She expressed hope that the trial would act as a cure, preventing future attacks on Brazil’s democratic system.
As Bolsonaro’s legal team prepares its appeal, Brazil now enters a new chapter in its political history one in which a former president faces decades behind bars for conspiring against the very democracy he once led.
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