Brasília, Brazil – Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court convicted former President Jair Bolsonaro on Thursday, of plotting a military coup to overturn his 2022 election loss, sentencing the 70-year-old far-right leader to 27 years and three months in prison—a historic ruling making him the first former Brazilian president convicted of attacking democracy.
The 4-1 decision by a five-justice panel rejected Bolsonaro’s “witch hunt” claims and found him guilty of five charges, including attempting a coup and participating in an armed criminal organization. The verdict, which also convicted seven allies including five military officers, drew condemnation from U.S. President Donald Trump, who called it “very bad for Brazil” and compared it to his own unpunished efforts to subvert the 2020 U.S. election.
Critics worldwide highlight the irony: Bolsonaro faces imprisonment, while Trump, despite indictments for similar subversion, evades accountability through legal delays, presidential immunity rulings, and his 2024 reelection, allowing him to “live rent-free in the White House” as a dominant GOP figure.
Supreme Court Ruling and Sentence
The panel—Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Gilmar Mendes, Cármen Lúcia, Cristiano Zanin, and Luiz Fux—delivered the conviction and sentence hours after voting, based on a 300-page ruling detailing Bolsonaro’s 2021-2022 conspiracy to undermine the election. These include plans to assassinate President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin, culminating in the January 8, 2023, by storming of government buildings.
Justice Cármen Lúcia stated, “This criminal case is almost a meeting between Brazil and its past, its present and its future,” referencing the 1964-1985 military dictatorship that killed hundreds. Prosecutors presented evidence of Bolsonaro eroding democratic institutions, per the ruling released September 12.
Bolsonaro was convicted on all five counts: attempting a coup, armed criminal organization, violent abolition of democracy, qualified damage by violence, and deterioration of listed heritage. The sentence, exceeding his age, allows house arrest due to health issues, but reinforces his ineligibility for office until 2030 from a prior electoral court ban for disinformation.
Justice Luiz Fux dissented, acquitting on all charges and questioning jurisdiction, potentially enabling appeals to the full 11-justice court, delaying finality until after the October 2026 election.
Seven co-conspirators were convicted, including former Defense Ministers Walter Braga Netto and Paulo Sergio Nogueira, aide Mauro Cid, adviser Augusto Heleno Ribeiro, former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, naval chief Almir Garnier Santos, and police officer Alexandre Ramagem, facing sentences up to 40 years.
Historian Carlos Fico of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro called it a “wake-up call for the armed forces,” the first military punishment for a coup attempt since Brazil’s 1889 republic.
Trump’s Reaction and U.S. Response – 2020 Election Subversion
Trump, in a September 11 White House statement, said, “I think it’s very bad for Brazil,” praising Bolsonaro as a “good man” and drawing parallels to his own unpunished 2020 election subversion: “That’s very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn’t get away with it at all.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X, “The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue… The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt,” per Nbcnews. The U.S. imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods in July, linked to the trial, and sanctioned Moraes. Eduardo Bolsonaro told Reuters, “I expected Trump to consider imposing further sanctions on Brazil and its high court justices.”
Critics highlight the clear difference: Bolsonaro faces prison for a failed coup plot, while Trump, indicted in August 2023 for conspiracy to defraud the U.S., obstructing an official proceeding, and conspiracy against rights related to January 6, 2021, evades accountability.
Special Counsel Jack Smith’s January 14, report concluded Trump engaged in an “unprecedented criminal effort” to retain power but dropped charges after Trump’s 2024 reelection, citing DOJ policy against prosecuting a sitting president.
Smith stated Trump would have been convicted had the case proceeded, with evidence including pressure on state officials, the fake electors scheme, and Vice President Mike Pence’s role, per the report. The Supreme Court’s July 2024 immunity ruling in Trump v. United States narrowed official acts prosecutable, delaying trials until after the election.
Despite four indictments in 2023-2024 (New York hush money, Georgia election interference, Florida classified documents, D.C. election subversion), Trump’s reelection led to dismissals: the D.C. case was dropped January 2025, Florida in July 2024 by Judge Aileen Cannon, Georgia delayed, and New York resulted in an unconditional discharge on January 10, 2025.
Trump remains a GOP dominant, preparing for policy implementation without facing prison, contrasting Bolsonaro’s fate and showing U.S. institutional challenges in holding leaders accountable.
Bolsonaro’s Political Journey and Legacy
Bolsonaro, a former army captain, began in the 1980s on Rio de Janeiro’s city council, serving nearly three decades as a congressman defending the 1964-1985 dictatorship. In a 1999 interview, he argued Brazil needed a civil war to “kill 30,000.”
Dismissed as fringe, he capitalized on 2014-2015 anti-corruption protests amid the “Car Wash” scandal implicating Lula (later annulled), winning in 2018 with a conservative coalition reshaping Congress against Lula’s agenda.
His presidency (2019-2023) featured vaccine skepticism during COVID-19, rising Amazon deforestation from illegal mining and ranching, and messianic rhetoric before the 2022 loss to Lula. In 2021, he told evangelicals, “I have three alternatives for my future: being arrested, killed, or victory. No man on Earth will threaten me.” The January 8, 2023, uprising caused “Amazonian-scale damage,” per Justice Fux.
The conviction, led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes (appointed 2017 by conservative Michel Temer), reflects a strategy against far-right threats, celebrated by the left but decried as persecution by the right. Bolsonaro, under house arrest since August 14, 2025, for social media violations, told Reuters in July, “They want to get me out of the political game next year. Without me in the race, Lula could beat anyone.” Despite the ban, he vows a 2026 run.
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Global Far-Right Convictions So Far
Bolsonaro joins 2025 far-right convictions: France’s Marine Le Pen for corruption (June 2025, 4 years suspended), Philippines’ Rodrigo Duterte for crimes against humanity (ICC warrant July 2025). The ruling tests Brazil’s judiciary against authoritarian resurgence, with Fico noting military accountability’s shift.
Left-wing celebrations erupted outside the court on September 11. Supporters, including Flávio Bolsonaro, called it “supreme persecution.” The non-unanimous vote may prolong appeals.
The case strains U.S.-Brazil relations, with Trump’s tariffs and sanctions since July 2025. Brazil’s Foreign Ministry rejected Rubio’s “threats,” affirming judicial independence.
On X, #BolsonaroConvicted trended with 500,000 posts. Supporters @BolsonaroVive posted, “Witch hunt like Trump’s—history will vindicate him!” Critics @LulaOficial said, “Justice served—democracy prevails.”
The verdict ties to Trump’s domestic challenges: Epstein files, brutal August jobs report, health rumors, September 6 Chicago post and mounting court losses. GOP rifts over Epstein risk 2026 midterms and Kirk’s assassination on September 10 amplified far-right solidarity with Bolsonaro.
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