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A 2023 decision by Brazil’s electoral court barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030
A 2023 decision by Brazil’s electoral court barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030 (Image: Reuters)
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was found guilty on Thursday in a landmark Supreme Court case involving a 2022 coup attempt and an assassination plot. The court sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison, according to reports from the BBC.
The ruling followed the decision of four out of five Supreme Court justices who convicted Bolsonaro and seven of his co-defendants, while one justice dissented from the majority opinion. This verdict marks a pivotal moment in Brazil’s recent political and judicial history.
Bolsonaro was convicted of leading a conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to his left-wing opponent, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Prosecutors also charged him with orchestrating an assassination attempt targeting Lula, his vice president Hamilton Mourão, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. According to investigators, the plot was part of Bolsonaro’s efforts to cling to power despite the democratic vote that favoured Lula.
Throughout the trial, Bolsonaro remained under house arrest and did not appear in court. He has repeatedly characterised the proceedings as a “witch hunt,” dismissing the charges against him.
In reaction to the guilty verdict, his ally and US President Donald Trump expressed surprise, comparing Bolsonaro’s legal challenges to his own experiences. Trump stated, “That’s very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn’t get away with it at all.” He further condemned the conviction as “a terrible thing” and warned that it could have negative consequences for Brazil. When asked about potential new sanctions on Brazil, Trump did not provide a definitive response.
The case follows a 2023 decision by Brazil’s electoral court that barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2030, after he spread false claims about the integrity of the country’s electronic voting system. The conviction has been praised by Lula’s Institutional Relations Minister, Gleisi Hoffmann, who declared that the ruling “ensures that no one dares again to attack the rule of law or the will of the people as expressed at the ballot box.”
70-year-old Bolsonaro now faces the prospect of spending the remainder of his life in prison. His legal team is expected to appeal the verdict, arguing that he should remain under house arrest rather than be incarcerated.
Brasilia, Brazil
September 12, 2025, 05:12 IST
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