Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of orchestrating a military coup to remain in power following his 2022 election defeat.
A panel of five Supreme Court justices convicted Bolsonaro of leading a conspiracy to subvert democracy, with four ruling against him and one voting to acquit.
Alongside the prison term, he has been barred from running for public office until 2060. Bolsonaro, 70, who has been under house arrest as a flight risk, did not attend the final hearing. His lawyers condemned the ruling as “absurdly excessive” and vowed to appeal.
The court also convicted seven co-conspirators, including senior military figures and former ministers. Prosecutors alleged Bolsonaro sought support from military commanders, spread unfounded claims about Brazil’s electoral system, and was aware of a plot to assassinate President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
US President Donald Trump described the ruling as “very surprising,” comparing it to his own legal troubles, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio denounced it as unjust.
Brazil’s foreign ministry swiftly rejected Washington’s criticism, stressing that “threats… will not intimidate our democracy.”
Justice Alexandre de Moraes warned Brazil had “almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship.”