Jair Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in Brazil over coup attempt

A historic verdict in Brasília

Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after a panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court justices found him guilty of trying to cling to power after losing the 2022 election. The ruling, issued on September 11, 2025, is the first time a former Brazilian president has been convicted for attempting to overthrow the government. Four of the five justices on the panel voted to convict him on five counts tied to a broader effort to subvert the election result.

Bolsonaro denies any wrongdoing. He remains under house arrest in Brasília while his lawyers prepare an appeal to the full Supreme Court of 11 justices. The court has up to 60 days to publish the formal decision. After that, the defense gets five days to seek clarifications. Only then can the case move to the full bench. In other words, he will not go straight to a cell.

Inside the case: the alleged plot, the evidence, and the stakes

The conviction caps a two-year federal police probe launched after Bolsonaro’s October 2022 defeat and the January 8, 2023 storming of Congress, the presidential Planalto Palace, and the Supreme Court by his supporters. Prosecutors said the violence in Brasília was not spontaneous. They argued it flowed from a coordinated plan to keep Bolsonaro in power by force. That plan, they said, even included schemes to assassinate President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw election cases.

Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet charged Bolsonaro and allies with leading a criminal organization, plotting a coup d’état, and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. The court’s opinion describes a systematic effort by Bolsonaro’s inner circle—many of them former military officers—to attack the electoral system and block the peaceful transfer of power. According to the ruling, the group tried to sow distrust in Brazil’s electronic voting, rallied institutional support for an intervention, and mapped out steps to neutralize key authorities.

Justice Cármen Lúcia, summarizing the evidence, said investigators traced a network that reached into government offices, segments of the armed forces, and parts of the intelligence services. In the court’s view, the pattern was clear: coordinated messaging, pressure campaigns, and operational planning aimed at breaking the constitutional order. The justices concluded the actions crossed the line from political speech into a directed effort to dismantle democratic institutions.

The panel’s vote is not the end. Once the ruling is formally published, Bolsonaro’s team can file motions to challenge points of law or seek adjustments. The full Supreme Court will then review the case. If the conviction holds, Brazil will face complex questions about how to carry out a long sentence for a former head of state, including whether time under house arrest counts toward the total and what security conditions apply.

Bolsonaro’s defense argues the prosecution criminalized speech and political strategy, not a coup. His allies call the case selective justice. His critics counter that the verdict enforces rules past leaders often skirted. The divide is real—and it’s not going away soon.

Reaction outside Brazil arrived fast. Former U.S. President Donald Trump weighed in, calling Bolsonaro “outstanding” and the sentence “very bad for Brazil.” U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio described the proceedings as a “witch hunt” and said the Trump administration would “respond accordingly.” Those comments underscored how Brazil’s case has become part of a wider global fight over democratic norms, courts, and elections.

The ruling carries special weight in a country still living with the shadow of a 21-year military dictatorship that ended in 1985. Brazil’s 1979 Amnesty Law has long blocked prosecutions for abuses committed during that era. This case is different. Prosecutors are targeting alleged crimes committed decades after the dictatorship, and the court is trying high-ranking military officers in civilian court for coup-related charges. That step is unprecedented in modern Brazilian judicial history.

The armed forces are not on trial as institutions, but the court’s description of networks involving former officers is sensitive. Brazil’s Constitution puts the military under civilian control. The justices were careful to separate command responsibility for any alleged conspiracy from the broader role of the armed forces, which remain central to national security and disaster response.

The Supreme Court has taken on an unusually visible role in recent years, especially around elections and disinformation. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has overseen multiple election-related cases, has become a central figure in that effort. In 2023, Brazil’s electoral court also barred Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030 over abuses of power during the 2022 campaign, an earlier blow that reshaped the right’s leadership bench.

Legally, the case leans on Brazil’s 2021 law against crimes against the democratic state, which replaced the Cold War–era National Security Law. The charges—coup plotting and the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law—reflect the newer statute’s focus on protecting institutions, not the reputations of officeholders. The justices framed their task as defending the constitutional order against coordinated attacks, not arbitrating political disputes.

The January 8 rampage in Brasília was a line in the sand. Thousands smashed windows, vandalized historic rooms, and clashed with police inside the nation’s core institutions. In court, prosecutors argued that the riot served as both pressure and cover for a larger plan: disrupt the transition, sow fear, and force an extraordinary intervention. Defense lawyers say that leap—from riot to organized coup—rests on inference, not proof. The justices disagreed.

What happens now will test Brazil’s institutions again. The formal ruling may take weeks. Appeals will follow. Meanwhile, the political right is split between backing Bolsonaro to the end and searching for a new standard-bearer who can avoid his legal baggage. The left, while satisfied with the verdict, knows any misstep can fuel a backlash.

However this plays out, Brazil’s credibility is on the line abroad. Investors and diplomats watch for signals: Are court orders enforced? Do security forces obey civilian command? Are appeals resolved on schedule? These are the practical markers of stability that matter as much as speeches.

Key moments in the saga help map the road here:

• Oct. 30, 2022: Lula defeats Bolsonaro in a tight runoff.
• Late 2022: Bolsonaro and allies question the voting system’s integrity, stoking mistrust among supporters.
• Jan. 8, 2023: Crowds attack Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace in Brasília.
• 2023–2025: Federal police raids, witness statements, and forensic work feed a sweeping case.
• Sept. 11, 2025: Supreme Court panel convicts Bolsonaro on five counts and issues a 27-year, three-month sentence.

The sentence also sends a message to those close to Bolsonaro who face their own charges. Prosecutors say the plot included former aides, ex-ministers, and retired officers. The court’s approach—tracing command chains and coordination—suggests those cases will turn on who gave orders, who executed them, and who kept quiet.

Social media remains the wild card. It amplified doubts about the election and coordinated calls to action after the vote. Regulators and platforms will likely face more court orders to preserve data and curb organized manipulation, especially as Brazil moves toward new election cycles. The appetite for tougher enforcement is here; the hard part is doing it without chilling legitimate debate.

For now, Brazil sits between two truths: the courts have shown they will act, and politics will keep testing them. The next 60 days—until the ruling is formalized and the defense files its motions—will set the pace. After that, the full Supreme Court’s review becomes the final gate between a historic sentence on paper and a sentence that actually sticks.