Brazil’s Ex-President Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years for Coup Plot
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after the Supreme Court found him guilty of attempting a coup to remain in power following his 2022 election defeat.
A panel of justices convicted the far-right leader on five counts, including plotting to abolish democracy, joining an armed criminal organisation, and inciting violence that culminated in the January 8, 2023 storming of government buildings by his supporters. Justice Carmen Lucia said Bolsonaro acted “with the purpose of eroding democracy and institutions.”
Bolsonaro, 70, who governed from 2019 to 2022, remains under house arrest and denies wrongdoing. His lawyers plan to appeal to the full Supreme Court. In 2023, Brazil’s electoral court barred him from holding office until 2030.
The landmark conviction is seen as a critical test of Brazil’s democratic resilience after decades of attempted coups.
Source; The Independent