BRASÍLIA, Brazil — Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison after convicting him of leading a conspiracy to overturn the 2022 election result through a military coup.
A five-judge panel ruled on Thursday, September 11, 2025, that the 70-year-old former leader had orchestrated efforts to remain in power after his defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Brazil’s current president.
Four justices voted to convict him, while one dissented.
The court also barred Bolsonaro from running for public office until 2033, extending a political ban he was already serving under separate rulings.
He was placed under house arrest earlier this year, after being deemed a flight risk, and did not attend the sentencing in person.
Prosecutors argued that Bolsonaro had sown distrust in Brazil’s electoral system, pressured military commanders to back a coup, and was aware of a plan to assassinate Lula, his running mate, and a Supreme Court justice.
The justices further found that his actions culminated in the storming of government buildings by supporters on Sunday, January 8, 2023.
More than 1,500 people were arrested after the violence.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial, warned of the gravity of Bolsonaro’s actions.
“We are slowly forgetting that Brazil almost returned to its 20-year dictatorship because a criminal organisation, comprised of a political group, doesn’t know how to lose elections,” he said.
Justice Cármen Lúcia, casting the decisive third guilty vote, likened the attempted coup to a “virus” threatening democracy.
“There was no immunity to authoritarianism,” she said.
Bolsonaro’s legal team condemned the ruling as “absurdly excessive” and pledged to file appeals, though legal experts noted this may be difficult given that only one justice voted for acquittal.
They are also expected to argue for his continued house arrest rather than imprisonment.
International reaction to the verdict has been polarised.
U.S. president Donald Trump, a political ally of Bolsonaro, said the ruling was “very surprising,” adding: “That’s very much like they tried to do with me. But they didn’t get away with it at all.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio called the decision unjust, describing it as a “witch hunt” and threatening to “respond accordingly.”
Brazil’s foreign ministry responded sharply on social media, saying: “Threats like the one made today by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement that attacks a Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and the compelling evidence on record, will not intimidate our democracy.”
The court also convicted seven of Bolsonaro’s co-conspirators, including senior military officers and two former defence ministers.
The lone dissenting justice, Luiz Fux, delivered an 11-hour argument claiming the evidence against Bolsonaro was insufficient.
Bolsonaro now faces the prospect of spending the rest of his life in prison, a stunning downfall for a former president who once commanded strong loyalty across Brazil’s political right.
