Brazilian Supreme Court sentences Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years over coup attempt

BRASILIA — A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices on Thursday sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison after convicting him of attempting a coup to remain in office despite his 2022 electoral defeat.

Bolsonaro, 70, is under house arrest in Brasilia. He can appeal the sentence.

Four of the five justices reviewing the case in the panel found the far-right politician guilty on five counts.

U.S. President Trump said hours later that he was “very unhappy” with the conviction. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro to be “outstanding.”

Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup. He has not attended the court proceedings, and on Thursday morning he was seen at his house’s garage but didn’t speak to reporters.

Justice Cármen Lúcia said she was convinced by the evidence the Attorney General’s Office presented against the former president. “He is the instigator, the leader of an organization that orchestrated every possible move to maintain or seize power,” she said.

The trial has been followed by a divided society, with people backing the process against the former president, while others still support him. Some have taken to the streets to back the far-right leader, who contends he is being politically persecuted.

Bolsonaro’s trial received renewed attention after Trump linked a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally’s legal situation, calling it a “witch hunt.” Observers say the U.S. might announce new sanctions against Brazil after the trial, further straining their fragile diplomatic relations.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, said Tuesday that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal organization, and voted in favor of convicting him.

Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, one of the former president’s sons, on Thursday talked about his father on his social media platforms. But instead of mentioning his father’s conviction, he pushed for his amnesty, which he is seeking through Congress.

“It is time to do nothing less than what is correct, just,” he said.

Justice Luiz Fux, in his dissenting opinion Wednesday, disagreed with De Moraes and the other two justices.

“No one can be punished for cogitation,” Fux said. “A coup d’etat does not result from isolated acts or individual demonstrations lacking coordination, but rather from the actions of organized groups, equipped with resources and strategic capacity to confront and replace the incumbent power.”

Earlier Thursday, Lúcia also voted to convict Bolsonaro of organized crime in connection with the alleged coup attempt.

Lúcia allowed De Moraes to interrupt her vote and play several videos that showed Bolsonaro in front of thousands of supporters from 2021 to 2023 urging him to leave the Supreme Court.

Savarese and Sá Pessoa write for the Associated Press. Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo. AP writer Darlene Superville in Washington contributed to this report.