Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for coup attempt

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been handed a prison sentence of 27 years and three months after being convicted of attempting to orchestrate a military coup.

The ruling was delivered by a panel of five Supreme Court justices only hours after his conviction was confirmed.

Four of the judges voted to convict Bolsonaro of leading a conspiracy to remain in power after his 2022 election defeat to left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. One judge dissented, voting to acquit.

Bolsonaro’s legal team denounced the punishment as “absurdly excessive” and announced plans to appeal.

The court also barred him from seeking public office until 2060, which would be eight years after the end of his sentence.

Currently under house arrest due to concerns he could flee, Bolsonaro did not attend the last stage of the trial. He has previously argued that the case was designed to block a possible 2026 presidential run, even though he was already disqualified from holding office in a separate case. He has repeatedly dismissed the proceedings as a “witch hunt.”

His claims have been echoed by former U.S. President Donald Trump, who retaliated against Brazil by imposing 50% tariffs on its exports. Trump, reacting to the conviction, said he found it “very surprising” and compared it 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.”

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio also condemned the verdict, calling it unjust and warning that Washington would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”

Brazil’s foreign ministry quickly replied on X, stating that threats like Rubio’s—“attacking a Brazilian authority and ignoring the facts and overwhelming evidence”—would not undermine Brazil’s democracy.