Former Brazilian president Bolsonaro sentenced to over 27 years in prison

In a dramatic climax to Brazil’s long-running political saga, the gavel of justice fell hard on Jair Bolsonaro, as the nation’s former president was handed a 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating an attempted coup.

Justices Carmen Lucia and Cristiano Zanin cast the deciding votes, joining Alexandre de Moraes and Flavio Dino, who had already ruled against him earlier in the week. Justice Luiz Fux was the lone dissenter, voting for acquittal.

The 70-year-old ex-president was convicted on five charges: plotting a coup d’état, attempted violent abolition of democratic rule, participation in an armed criminal organisation, aggravated damage, and deterioration of protected heritage sites.

Bolsonaro, currently under house arrest, did not attend the final hearing. He retains the right to appeal to the full 11-member Supreme Federal Court.

Throughout the trial, he has dismissed the case as a political vendetta aimed at blocking his 2026 presidential bid — though he was already barred from holding public office in a separate ruling.

Rallying to the side of his embattled ally, US President Donald Trump thundered a staunch defense of Jair Bolsonaro, denouncing the 27-year sentence for coup plotting as a grave injustice.

Reacting to the verdict, Trump said he was “very surprised,” likening Bolsonaro’s fate to his own legal troubles: “That’s very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn’t get away with it at all.”

“Jair Bolsonaro was an outstanding leader. It’s a terrible thing for Brazil,” Trump said, likening the conviction to his own legal battles. “I knew him as the president of Brazil. He was a good man, and I don’t see that happening.”

Four of five justices convicted Bolsonaro on charges ranging from plotting a coup to undermining democracy and involvement in a criminal group, with only Justice Luiz Fux dissenting. Now under house arrest, the former president has dismissed the trial as a politically driven ‘witch hunt’ meant to derail his 2026 comeback.

Trump echoed his stance, imposing 50 per cent tariffs on Brazilian goods and portraying them as retaliation for Bolsonaro’s prosecution."

The verdict has polarised global opinion: Trump and other allies condemned it as political persecution, while rights groups hailed it as a defense of Brazil’s democracy.

With IANS inputs