Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been convicted by the country’s Supreme Court for orchestrating a failed plan to overturn the results of the 2022 election.
In a majority ruling, four of the five justices presiding over the case found Bolsonaro guilty of attempting to subvert democracy and cling to power after losing to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. One judge dissented, voting for acquittal.
The 70-year-old faces multiple convictions, including attempting to stage a coup, leading an armed criminal group, and plotting to violently undermine Brazil’s democratic institutions. Legal analysts warn his sentence could stretch beyond 40 years.
Justice Cármen Lúcia cast the decisive vote, declaring that Bolsonaro had “triggered the insurgency” that culminated in the January 8, 2023 riots.
On that day, thousands of his supporters stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in Brasília, echoing scenes similar to the 2021 U.S. Capitol attack.
“This was a virus of authoritarianism,” Justice Lúcia said. “If left unchecked, it could have destroyed our democracy.”
Bolsonaro, who denies wrongdoing, described the case as a political witch hunt. His lawyers have pledged to appeal, while insisting the former president has been targeted to prevent him from contesting future elections.
Although already banned from public office until 2030 for spreading false claims about Brazil’s electronic voting system, Bolsonaro had vowed to challenge that ruling and run again in 2026. His conviction now makes that prospect more uncertain.
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August, after investigators accused him and his son Eduardo of trying to meddle in the trial. He did not attend the hearings, citing ongoing health problems stemming from a 2018 stabbing.
The verdict has divided Brazil. Supporters accuse the court of overreach, while critics argue the ruling is a necessary step to safeguard democracy.
International reaction has also been swift. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has long expressed support for Bolsonaro, criticized the conviction, saying it resembled attempts to prosecute him in America.
Trump recently imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, citing what he called the “political persecution” of Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro’s son Eduardo has warned that Washington may take further action against Brazil following the ruling, describing the court’s decision as proof that a “dictatorship” is taking root in the country.
Meanwhile, prosecutors maintain Bolsonaro had been laying the groundwork for a coup months before leaving office, pressuring military leaders, spreading false claims about election fraud, and even being linked to a plan to assassinate political rivals.
