Jair Bolsonaro, the former president of Brazil, has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of orchestrating a military coup.
A five-member panel of the Supreme Court handed down the sentence shortly after convicting the former leader, ruling that he was culpable of leading a conspiracy aimed at maintaining his grip on power following his defeat in the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to the BBC and a report by the Associated Press (AP).
Four of the five justices found Bolsonaro guilty on five counts, while one voted for his acquittal. His legal team has labelled the sentence “absurdly excessive” and stated their intention to file “the appropriate appeals,” the BBC says.
Bolsonaro, aged 70 and under house arrest due to being deemed a flight risk, did not attend the final phase of his trial in person. He has previously asserted that the trial was orchestrated to prevent him from contesting the 2026 presidential election and has dismissed the proceedings as a “witch hunt.”
[See more: China supports Brazil in fight against ‘arbitrary’ US tariffs]
The AP noted that this conviction marks the first time a former Brazilian president has been found guilty of attempting a coup. The five charges against Bolsonaro include: attempting a coup after losing the 2022 election in a plot that prosecutors alleged involved plans to assassinate Lula, participating in an armed criminal organisation, and attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.
US president and Bolsonaro ally Donald Trump – who had previously imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian goods, framing them as retaliation for Bolsonaro’s prosecution –, expressed his surprise at the guilty verdict. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared on X that Brazil’s Supreme Court had “unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro” and threatened to “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
Brazil’s foreign ministry swiftly responded on X, asserting that “threats like the one made today by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement that attacks a Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and the compelling evidence on record, will not intimidate our democracy.” The AP added that observers anticipate new US sanctions against Brazil following the trial, potentially further straining diplomatic relations.
While the sentence has been handed down, Bolsonaro will not immediately be incarcerated. The court panel has up to 60 days to officially publish the ruling, after which Bolsonaro’s lawyers will have five days to file motions for clarification. His legal team has indicated they will attempt to appeal both the conviction and the sentence before the full 11-justice Supreme Court, though some legal experts deem this unlikely to succeed.
