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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after Brazil's Supreme Court found him guilty of plotting a coup to remain in power following his 2022 election defeat. The landmark verdict marks the first time a former president has been convicted for undermining Brazil's democracy and has sent shockwaves through the political landscape of Latin America's largest nation.
A panel of five justices ruled decisively against Bolsonaro, with four convicting him of five crimes including conspiracy to abolish democracy, organizing a coup, and participating in an armed criminal organization. Justice Carmen Lucia described the case as a historical reckoning, linking Brazil's current political turmoil with its turbulent past of military coups. Bolsonaro, a former army captain who has often praised the dictatorship that ruled Brazil between 1964 and 1985, was accused of intentionally eroding democratic institutions.
The ruling has provoked international controversy, particularly in the United States, where President Donald Trump—one of Bolsonaro's closest allies—denounced the conviction as a "witch hunt." Trump responded with tariffs, sanctions against Brazil's judiciary, and the revocation of visas for high court judges. Brazilian officials rebuffed the criticism, asserting that their democracy would not bow to external pressure.
Bolsonaro's lawyers have already vowed to appeal, calling the sentence "absurdly excessive," and at least one dissenting justice questioned the court's jurisdiction. However, the conviction has been widely hailed by President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's government as a powerful safeguard against threats to the rule of law. Lula stated that Brazil's institutions must be protected from those willing to undermine the will of the people.
The verdict also resonates within the armed forces, as seven of Bolsonaro's allies, including senior military officers, were convicted alongside him. Historians suggest the ruling signals a dramatic shift, as military figures once shielded from accountability are now facing justice for attempting to subvert democracy.
Bolsonaro's downfall is a striking contrast to his rise, from an obscure congressman in the 1980s to a populist leader who reshaped Brazilian politics with anti-establishment rhetoric and far-right policies. Now barred from holding public office until 2030, he remains a potent symbol for his supporters, many of whom see him as a victim of political persecution. Yet for others, his conviction stands as a landmark defense of Brazilian democracy against authoritarian threats.
