12.09.2025 08:30
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, accused of planning a coup against the current government following the 2022 presidential elections, has been sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison. The judge stated regarding the decision, "If he had succeeded, the biggest consequence would have been the return of dictatorship to Brazil."
The outcome of the trial against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who was accused of planning a coup attempt to remain in power after losing the 2022 presidential elections, has been announced.
27 YEARS IN PRISON
The Brazilian Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to a total of 27 years and 3 months in prison for attempting a coup, forming an armed criminal organization, trying to forcibly eliminate the democratic order, and causing damage to state institutions and protected cultural heritage during the ruling session.
"IF HE HAD SUCCEEDED, DICTATORSHIP WOULD HAVE RETURNED TO BRAZIL"
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes stated in a press release regarding the decision made by a majority vote that Bolsonaro committed the crime of planning a coup attempt attributed to him, saying, "He tried to destroy the fundamental pillars of the democratic rule of law. If he had succeeded, the greatest consequence would have been the return of dictatorship to Brazil." Justice Carmen Lucia Antunes, one of the court members, expressed that there is conclusive evidence that the "criminal organization" led by Bolsonaro attempted to obstruct the exercise of democratic rights.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In the 2022 presidential election in Brazil, leftist candidate Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva received 50.9% of the votes, while the then-incumbent president, right-wing Jair Bolsonaro, received 49.1%. Supporters of Bolsonaro, who claimed there was fraud in the elections, had engaged in days-long highway blockades and called for the military to intervene to prevent Lula from taking office. One week after Lula's inauguration, on January 8, 2023, Bolsonaro's supporters breached police barriers and stormed the National Congress Building, the Federal Supreme Court General Assembly, and the Planalto Palace, causing damage. Bolsonaro, who was accused of inciting the events along with dozens of others, was charged with planning a coup attempt. Throughout the trial, Bolsonaro denied the allegations against him, describing the events as a "witch hunt."