Jair Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for the attempted coup.

BarcelonaFor the first time in Brazilian history, a former president will be convicted of an attempted coup. The First Chamber of the country's Supreme Court, which is trying Jair Bolsonaro, has sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison. Bolsonaro is charged with five crimes, including attempted coup d'état, for having led a plot to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from being inaugurated president after losing the 2022 elections. Although unsuccessful, the party completed the Bolsonaro building on January 8, 2023, as determined by the judges.

Judge Cármen Lúcia Antunes, one of the five justices who make up the chamber, cast the third vote in favor of the conviction, thus achieving the necessary majority. Finally, the last judge also ruled in favor, and the balance was four to one. The sentence of 27 years and three months was then made public, and it can still be appealed.

"This criminal case is almost an encounter between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future," the judge said before voting. In Antunes's opinion, there is sufficient evidence that Bolsonaro acted "with the purpose of eroding democracy and institutions." Thus, he joined the arguments of the investigating judge, Alejandro de Moraes, who maintains that the far-right leader and seven of his allies are guilty of five crimes against the democratic order: participating in an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish democracy, organizing a coup d'état, and two other charges related to damages.

The sentence was already condemnatory this Thursday when four of the five judges had already ruled. Judge Cristiano Zanin, who as president of the chamber was in charge of announcing the result of the trial, was still pending his ruling and also joined the condemnation. The only judge opposed the conviction was Luiz Fux, who broke the unanimous vote of his colleagues on Wednesday by acquitting the former president of all charges.

The ruling, which bars Bolsonaro from running for office until 2060, will not be final. A lack of unanimous verdict opens the door to a path of challenges that could last until the presidential election campaign scheduled for 2026. This could be difficult, as the former president has repeatedly stated that he intends to run for president. Furthermore, Bolsonaro's lawyers, who is currently under house arrest, have already stated that the sentence is "absurdly excessive" and that they will file the appropriate appeals.

US Retaliation

The conviction—which also affects seven of Bolsonaro's allies, five of whom are military personnel—has fueled discord with US President Donald Trump, an ally of the former president, who had already called the case a "witch hunt" and punished Brazil with tariff increases and sanctions for most of the members of the Brazilian high court.

"I know him very well," Trump said, praising his ally. "He was a good president." "It's very similar to what they tried to do to me, but they didn't succeed," he said regarding the sentence. Washington's top diplomat, Marco Rubio, was more forceful, calling the court's ruling "unfair" and asserting that "the United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt."

Lula da Silva has been quick to respond that he does not fear further sanctions from the US, while the Brazilian Foreign Ministry has called Rubio's remarks a threat that "attacks Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and compelling evidence on record."

The conviction further widens the political divide in Brazil. Some citizens interpret it as an essential step to protect democratic institutions, while many supporters of Bolsonaro and his allies denounce it as a persecution maneuver aimed at preventing him from running in the 2026 elections. On the left, however, the decision represents a far-reaching resolution and a precedent for those punished for trying to overthrow democracy.