Brazil Supreme Court Sentences Bolsonaro to 27+ Years

Brazil’s Supreme Court has handed former president Jair Bolsonaro a sentence of over 27 years in prison for crimes including plotting a coup d’état and seeking to “annihilate” Brazil’s democracy.

The ruling stems from his efforts to overturn his 2022 qiestionable election loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Justices Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha and Cristiano Zanin joined the majority ruling, with 4 of 5 judges voting to convict. Justice Alexandre de Moraes described Bolsonaro’s actions as an attempt to bring back dictatorship.

Justice Luiz Fux voted to acquit and has even sought to annul the trial. His position has fueled conservative lawmakers’ push for a possible amnesty bill, though the Senate shows little appetite for it.

Bolsonaro has already been barred from future elections, but appeals could stretch into the 2026 campaign season, when he insists he will still run.

President Donald Trump quickly denounced the conviction, calling it “very much like they tried to do with me but they didn’t get away with it.”

The Trump White House has repeatedly criticized Lula’s government, framing Bolsonaro’s prosecution as a “witch hunt.”

Heightened U.S.–Brazil tensions, especially since the Trump White House recently imposed cumulative tariffs of up to 50% on Brazilian imports, including coffee, beef, and rare earths.