Brazil’s Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for coup plotting, concluding a landmark trial that has divided the nation and drawn U.S. fury. The 70-year-old far-right leader can appeal the verdict, which could see him spend the rest of his life in jail.
Judges voted 4-1 to convict Bolsonaro of plotting to overthrow Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva following his 2022 election defeat. The conviction also applies to his seven co-accused, including former ministers and military chiefs. Cristiano Zanin, a judge and former lawyer for Lula, stated that the defendants had formed “an armed criminal organisation” and deserved to be convicted based on the evidence.
The ruling quickly drew a strong response from the U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a post on X, called the verdict a politically motivated “witch hunt” and vowed that the U.S. “will respond accordingly.” U.S. President Donald Trump, a close ally of Bolsonaro, also commented, calling the verdict “very surprising” and comparing it to his own legal challenges. The U.S. had already imposed steep tariffs on Brazilian goods earlier this year in protest of the prosecution.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain who served a single term from 2019 to 2022, claims he is a victim of political persecution. He was convicted of inciting the violent 2023 storming of government buildings in Brasilia by hundreds of his supporters, a week after Lula’s inauguration. He was also charged with knowing of a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre Moraes.
The trial has been one of the most divisive in Brazil’s recent history, with proceedings followed closely by Brazilians across the country. The conviction has sparked both celebration and outrage. In Brasilia, some patrons at a bar burst into applause after the verdict, while a civil engineer called the trial “unfair.”
The case has led to an unprecedented crisis in relations between the U.S. and Brazil. In addition to the tariffs, Washington has also sanctioned Moraes and other Supreme Court judges. Bolsonaro’s allies are now pushing for an amnesty law in Congress to save him from prison.
