Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted by the Supreme Court of plotting a coup and leading an armed conspiracy and was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison, the court announced after a high-profile trial. The verdict also bars him from running for public office until 2060.
The conviction follows a multi-year investigation and a trial that examined Bolsonaro's actions in the run-up to and aftermath of the October 2022 presidential election, including efforts to cast doubt on electronic voting, his meetings with military leaders, and the storming of government buildings in Brasília on 8 January 2023 by his supporters. Bolsonaro had been placed under house arrest in August before the trial and denied wrongdoing throughout the proceedings.
Prosecutors brought five charges against Bolsonaro. The Supreme Court found him guilty on all counts, which included leading an armed conspiracy and plotting to subvert the democratic order. The court handed down a combined sentence exceeding 27 years and rendered him ineligible for elected office until 2060.
The trial centred in part on allegations that Bolsonaro and aides sought to overturn the 2022 election after he narrowly lost the runoff to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. During the campaign Bolsonaro repeatedly alleged, without evidence, that Brazil's electronic voting system could be hacked and pressed for paper ballots. On election day, federal road police set up roadblocks in regions where Lula had strong support; the Supreme Court ordered the roadblocks removed. After the result, Bolsonaro did not acknowledge defeat and later flew to Florida, failing to attend Lula's inauguration on 1 January 2023.
Investigations by federal police and judicial inquiries led by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes examined the spread of disinformation, threats to democratic institutions and alleged coordination with elements of the security forces. Moraes, appointed in 2017, presided over multiple inquiries into attacks on the electoral system and the institutions of state and had become a central figure in cases against Bolsonaro and his supporters.
On 8 January 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters breached and vandalised the Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace in Brasília. Security forces regained control the same day. A majority of Supreme Court justices later interpreted the attacks as part of a broader plan by Bolsonaro's allies to prevent Lula from taking office. Police investigations uncovered printed plans to assassinate Lula and Justice Moraes, which were traced to an aide inside the presidential palace; Bolsonaro has denied knowledge of assassination plots.
Bolsonaro's presidency (2019–2022) had already been marked by sharp tensions with courts, critics and sections of civil society. A former army captain who spent nearly three decades as a congressman, he built a reputation for incendiary rhetoric and defence of Brazil's past military regime. His 2018 rise from political fringe figure to president was propelled by social media, anti-corruption sentiment following the Car Wash investigations, and a coalition of conservative voters, evangelicals, business interests and parts of the security forces.
His government's response to the Covid-19 pandemic drew wide domestic and international criticism. Bolsonaro repeatedly opposed social distancing measures, voiced scepticism about vaccines and promoted unproven treatments. Public-health specialists and some analysts have said that earlier adoption of social distancing and swifter vaccine procurement could have reduced deaths; more than 700,000 Brazilians died of Covid-19 between 2020 and March 2023.
Bolsonaro also presided over a government that relaxed environmental protections and oversight in favour of agribusiness, a policy shift linked to a surge in Amazon deforestation that drew global condemnation.
After leaving office, Bolsonaro sought to retain political influence. His party won more than 500 mayoralties in the 2024 local elections and he cultivated a nationwide base of supporters. His son, Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, travelled to the United States to lobby for support and later drew scrutiny from Brazilian investigators; in July, the former US president Donald Trump imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods and described Bolsonaro as a victim of a "witch hunt." Brazilian authorities opened inquiries into possible interference with judicial processes by Bolsonaro and associates over approaches made to the US government.
Even after the verdict, Bolsonaro's political future remains contested. Allies in Congress have begun negotiating an amnesty proposal that could, if passed, absolve those convicted of crimes linked to the post-election unrest. Legal and political analysts say any congressional amnesty would face immediate constitutional scrutiny in the Supreme Court and could precipitate a constitutional crisis if lawmakers attempt to override judicial review or remove justices.
"Everybody knows that any decision will be revisited. Nothing will be permanent," a lawyer involved in the trial told reporters during court proceedings, reflecting the view among some participants that the legal and political struggle over Bolsonaro's fate may continue.
The Supreme Court's decision punctuates a tumultuous chapter in Brazil's recent history, one marked by abrupt political realignments, social unrest and an intensified contest between branches of government. The conviction removes a central figure from immediate electoral contention but leaves open the possibility of legislative or political maneuvers that could alter the legal consequences, with implications for Brazil's democratic institutions and governance in the years ahead.