Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to remain in power after his election loss, marking a pivotal moment in the nation’s democratic history. The ruling underscores the judiciary’s firm stance against attempts to undermine the electoral process and highlights the ongoing political tensions in Brazil.
On Tuesday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes of Brazil’s Supreme Court mandated that Bolsonaro start his sentence immediately, declaring the case closed with no further appeals possible. The 70-year-old former leader was found guilty in September of leading a conspiracy aimed at overturning the results of the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro will serve his time in a federal police jail cell in Brasília, where he has been detained since Saturday after being deemed a flight risk and removed from home detention. This development follows a series of legal proceedings that have captivated the country and drawn international attention.
The conspiracy involved detailed plans to keep Bolsonaro in power, including knowledge of plots to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, Geraldo Alckmin, as well as to arrest and execute Justice Moraes. However, the scheme failed to gain support from key military leaders, allowing Lula to be sworn in without incident on January 1, 2023. A week later, on January 8, thousands of Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília, an event the justices linked directly to his incitement. Security forces intervened, leading to about 1,500 arrests, and the court found that Bolsonaro’s ultimate goal was for the military to intervene and restore him to power.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles escalated recently when he admitted in a hearing on Sunday to damaging his ankle monitor with a soldering iron, blaming the incident on medicine-induced paranoia rather than an intent to flee. Justice Moraes responded by ordering full-time medical care for the former president, whose health has been described as worsening by his medical team. This episode added to the drama surrounding his detention and raised questions about his physical and mental state as he begins his lengthy prison term.
In addition to Bolsonaro, the Supreme Court ordered that other co-conspirators must begin their sentences, including Gen Augusto Heleno, the former minister for institutional security, and Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, the former defence minister. These figures were central to the plot, and their sentencing signals a broader accountability for those involved in the attempt to disrupt democracy. The court’s actions aim to deter future similar efforts and reinforce the rule of law in Brazil.
The 27-year sentence effectively bars Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2060, eight years after his prison term ends, which he has criticized as a ‘witch hunt’ designed to prevent his participation in the 2026 presidential election. This ruling has deepened divisions in Brazilian society, with supporters viewing it as political persecution and opponents seeing it as necessary justice. The case has also sparked debates about the resilience of democratic institutions in the face of authoritarian threats.
Looking ahead, the implementation of Bolsonaro’s sentence is expected to have significant implications for Brazil’s political landscape, potentially influencing upcoming elections and the behavior of other political figures. It sets a precedent for handling attempts to subvert democracy and may lead to further investigations into similar activities. As Bolsonaro starts his prison term, the focus shifts to how this will affect national unity and the ongoing efforts to address the legacy of his presidency.
