Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro speaks to the press at Congress in Brasilia, Brazil, Wednesday, March 26, 2025, after panel of Brazil Supreme Court justices accepted charges against him over an alleged attempt to stay in office after his 2022 election defeat. (AP Photo/Luis Nova)
In a dramatic ruling, Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison for orchestrating a coup attempt to overturn his 2022 election defeat.
A panel of five justices delivered the verdict on Wednesday, with four voting to convict and one dissenting. The judgment not only handed Bolsonaro a lengthy prison term but also barred him from holding public office until 2033.
The 70-year-old former leader, deemed a flight risk, remains under house arrest and did not appear in court for sentencing.
Bolsonaro’s legal team blasted the punishment as “absurdly excessive” and vowed to appeal, while the former president himself has repeatedly dismissed the proceedings as a political “witch hunt” aimed at preventing him from staging a comeback in the 2026 elections—a race he was already barred from entering due to separate convictions.
Global Fallout
The ruling sent shockwaves far beyond Brazil’s borders.
Former U.S. President Donald Trump, a longtime ally, called the decision “very surprising” and likened Bolsonaro’s plight to his own legal battles.
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the judgment as unjust and warned of repercussions.
Brazil’s foreign ministry swiftly hit back, condemning Rubio’s remarks as a “threat” and insisting the conviction rested on “compelling evidence” that no external pressure would undermine.
The sentencing marks a watershed moment for Brazil’s democracy, which has faced severe tests since Bolsonaro’s supporters stormed Congress in January 2023 in scenes reminiscent of the U.S. Capitol riot.
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