Brazil’s Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Coup Plot, Becomes First Ex-President Convicted of Attacking Democracy

Brasília, September 12 – Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced on Thursday to 27 years and three months in prison after being convicted of plotting a coup to cling to power following his 2022 election defeat. The landmark ruling by Brazil’s Supreme Court marks the first time in the country’s history that a former head of state has been convicted for undermining democracy.

The verdict, delivered by a five-justice panel, found Bolsonaro guilty on multiple counts, including participation in a criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish democracy, conspiring to organize a coup, and damaging government property. Four of the five justices voted to convict, while Justice Luiz Fux dissented, questioning the court’s jurisdiction.

Justice Carmen Lúcia, voting in favor of conviction, described the ruling as a moment of historical reckoning. “This criminal case is almost a meeting between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future,” she said, recalling the nation’s troubled history with military dictatorships.

Bolsonaro, a former army captain who openly admired Brazil’s 1964–85 military regime, remains under house arrest. His legal team condemned the sentence as “absurdly excessive” and vowed to appeal.

The conviction reverberated globally, drawing strong criticism from U.S. President Donald Trump, a close Bolsonaro ally, who called the case a “witch hunt.” Washington has already imposed tariff hikes, sanctions against the presiding judge, and revoked visas for several Supreme Court justices. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio labeled the court’s decision “unjust,” while Brazil’s Foreign Ministry condemned his remarks as an unacceptable threat to its sovereignty.

Despite the conviction, Bolsonaro has repeatedly pledged to run in the 2026 presidential election, though Brazil’s electoral court barred him from holding office until 2030 for spreading false claims about the voting system.

The ruling also extended to seven of Bolsonaro’s allies, including five senior military officers, marking the first time since Brazil became a republic nearly 140 years ago that armed forces personnel have been punished for attempting to subvert democracy.

Historians say the case underscores a turning point. “The trial is a wake-up call for the armed forces,” said Carlos Fico of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. “There was never punishment before—now there is.”

For supporters of President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro’s conviction affirms Brazil’s institutional resilience. “It ensures that no one dares again to attack the rule of law or the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box,” said Institutional Relations Minister Gleisi Hoffmann.

Yet with Bolsonaro’s enduring political base and vocal backing from Trump, the conviction is likely to deepen Brazil’s polarization, shaping both its domestic politics and its fraught relationship with Washington in the run-up to 2026.