Brasilia, November 27: Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election, marking a dramatic turn in the country’s turbulent political landscape.
The decision came as the court formally concluded the long-running case against Bolsonaro, leaving only a procedural confirmation by a four-member panel that had already rejected his appeal earlier this month. Justice Alexandre de Moraes instructed that Bolsonaro start serving his sentence at the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasilia, where he has been held since Saturday after tampering with his ankle monitor in a separate case.
Bolsonaro’s conviction adds to a series of legal setbacks since he left office, leaving him barred from public office and increasingly isolated internationally. Former U.S. President Donald Trump, once one of his most vocal defenders, has distanced himself in recent weeks and reversed steep tariffs that he had previously imposed in protest of Bolsonaro’s prosecution.
“Today is a memorable day for Brazilian democracy,” congressman Lindbergh Farias wrote on X, calling the ruling the country’s first instance of an ex-president and senior military leaders facing punishment for an attempted coup.
Bolsonaro’s legal team criticised the court for what they described as a rushed process. Lawyer Celso Vilardi said more time should have been allowed for appeals, adding that the defense would continue efforts to overturn the decision.
The former president was sentenced in September to 27 years and three months in prison for plotting to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. He had earlier spent more than 100 days under house arrest while facing charges of soliciting Trump’s interference in his legal troubles.
Family members voiced concern over his condition. Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro described the prosecution as “psychological torture” and a “rigged game,” while his brother Carlos said after a visit on Tuesday that Bolsonaro appeared “emotionally destroyed.”
Despite his legal woes, Bolsonaro insists he intends to run for president again in 2026. However, his growing health issues, declining public support and internal divisions within Brazil’s right-wing movement have cast uncertainty over his political future. Polls released on Tuesday showed Lula maintaining a clear lead over all potential conservative challengers.
Bolsonaro’s explanation for tampering with his ankle monitor — that prescription medication had left him believing it concealed listening devices — has further fueled doubts about his viability among allies hoping to build a united front for 2026.
In stark contrast to the large crowds that stormed Congress in his support in early 2023, only a small group of loyalists gathered outside the police building on Tuesday. Trump, in a softer tone than before, said over the weekend that Bolsonaro’s detention was “too bad.”
Still, some prominent allies insisted the former president retains influence. “He is not politically weakened,” said right-wing Senator Damares Alves. “He is simply showing what we have long said: His health is not well.”
