Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Thursday (September 11) convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election, a landmark ruling that makes him the first former president in the country’s history convicted for attacking democracy, Reuters reports.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes announced that a majority of the court found Bolsonaro guilty of leading an armed criminal organisation, attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, organising a coup d’état, and causing qualified damage to federal property and protected cultural assets.
De Moraes set Bolsonaro’s sentence at 27 years and 3 months — comprising 24 years and 9 months of imprisonment and 2 years and 6 months of detention — along with 124 days of fines.
Justice Cristiano Zanin, said the evidence showed the attempted coup was “carefully planned” and already underway, with actions calibrated to find “the best moment for its launch,” and that Bolsonaro, “as the main beneficiary,” knew of and contributed to the plot through acts and omissions. Zanin concluded by voting to accept in full the complaint filed by the Prosecutor General’s Office.
The majority decision underscored the court’s view that Bolsonaro sought to erode democratic institutions. J
Four of the five justices on the panel voted to convict; one voted to acquit. The ruling delivers a profound blow to the far-right movement Bolsonaro helped galvanize and adds Brazil to a growing list of democracies holding high-profile figures accountable for anti-democratic actions.
