Former President of Brazil sentenced to 27 years for coup attempt

Tengrinews.kz – The Supreme Court of Brazil has found former president Jair Bolsonaro guilty of attempting a coup d’état and sentenced him to 27 years and 3 months in prison, according to the Brazilian news outlet G1.

Three out of five judges voted to convict the 70-year-old Bolsonaro on five charges: participation in an armed criminal organization, attempted violent overthrow of democracy, organizing a coup d’état, damaging government property, and harming protected cultural heritage.

One judge voted to acquit the former president, while another abstained from voting.

The single vote against conviction may open the door for an appeal, and a final verdict could be delayed until closer to Brazil’s 2026 presidential elections.

According to the report, out of the total sentence, 24 years and 9 months will be served under strict incarceration, while the remaining 2.5 years involve other forms of detention.

The portal notes that this marks the first time in Brazil’s history that a former president has been convicted for attempting a coup.

Currently, Bolsonaro is under house arrest for failing to comply with court-ordered restrictions.

The court’s statement also indicated that Bolsonaro was aware of an assassination plot targeting Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Law enforcement reported that a group of military personnel planned to kill Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin in December 2022.

In November 2024, Brazilian police officially charged Bolsonaro in connection with the conspiracy against Lula.

Bolsonaro served as president from 2019 to 2023, before being succeeded by Lula da Silva. In January 2023, Bolsonaro’s supporters, rejecting his election loss, staged protests and riots in Brasília, the nation’s capital. They attempted to seize government buildings, but the protests were eventually suppressed by police.