Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years In Prison
Aidan Ishaan Raman Bogan
Staff Writer
On September 11th the former President of Brazil from 2019 to 2023, Jair Messias Bolsonaro, was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison by the Brazilian Supreme Court by the votes of 4 out of 5 of the judges. Bolsonaro was sentenced on charges of conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2022 Brazilian presidential election in an attempt to remain in power. The attacks on the National Congress Palace and other federal government buildings in Brasilia on January 8, 2023 alongside the planning which produced the attacks have netted him additional charges according to Folha de S.Paulo, “Bolsonaro was also found guilty of the crimes of armed criminal organization, abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage to public property, and deterioration of protected property.” Despite these charges and the sentence given to him, Bolsonaro remains a controversial figure in the country as many of his supporters protested the decision of the Brazilian Supreme Court.
Beyond the attacks on the national capital, the conspiracy to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election has been linked to other plans to assassinate prominent political opponents of Bolsonaro. As covered in the 2024 884-page report by the Department of Federal Police and corroborated with more recent findings in light of the trial proceedings, both the incumbent President Lula and long standing rival to Bolsonaro, Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, were the targets of violence and assassination. According to CNN, “Part of the coup plot, prosecutors alleged, involved a plan to potentially use explosives, weapons of war or poison to assassinate leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, his Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro’s trial.” This blatant disregard for the rule of law in the face of the democratic process has placed Brazilian politics in a difficult state ever since 2023. Despite these threats, the resolve of the federal court system to pursue the conspiracy that had challenged the foundation of Brazilian democracy has been able to return some of the legitimacy and stability to national institutions which had been marred by the coup d’etat attempt.
There are concerns that the prison sentence for Bolsonaro would effectively be a life sentence due to his declining health at 70 years old. Brazilian correspondents for Reuters report that the lawyers helping Bolsonaro with this court case are attempting to settle for a less harsh outcome “However, his lawyers could argue on appeal that, given his age and health, Bolsonaro should remain under house arrest. The former president has been hospitalized repeatedly due to complications from a stabbing during the 2018 election campaign. It could take over a month for the court to publish its ruling, triggering a five-day deadline for lawyers to file a motion requesting changes to the sentence.” While the specific details of incarceration are still being negotiated following the sentence, the effective removal of Bolsonaro from national politics remains unpopular with his supporters. The place of imprisonment is speculated to be in a federal prison or the infamous Papuda Penitentiary Complex in Brasilia, where many politicians convicted of corruption have historically served their time. The latter would be particularly damning for Bolsonaro’s political legacy as he had campaigned as an anti-corruption in the 2018 presidential election.
The public outcry concerning the decision of the Brazilian Supreme Court has continued Bolsonaro’s reputation as a controversial figure in national politics, with many of his supporters among both the general population and elected officials remaining adamantly in support of him. Eduardo Bolsonaro, the third son of Bolsonaro and member of the Chamber of Deputies since 2015, has continued to vouch for his father’s freedom in light of the trial. According to El País, Eduardo travelled to the United States in an attempt to have economically damaging tariffs placed on his country, punishing Brazil for putting Bolsonaro on trial. While Eduardo’s collusion with Donald Trump and the international right-wing to levy collective punishment against Brazil for the trial of his father has garnered condemnation from his political opponents, he remains popular among his own voter base. Other politicians and public figures such as Governor Tarcísio de Freitas and Silas Malafaia have continued the populist tide of Bolsonarismo, with opposition against the Brazilian Supreme Court being the next talking point as per ABC News. Despite the conviction, it is clear to many that Bolsonaro’s impact on Brazilian politics will surpass his time in prison in the eyes of many voters.
Image courtesy of Getty Images.
