27-Year Prison Sentence for Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro for Planning a Coup

SadaNews - The Brazilian Supreme Court has sentenced former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison after convicting him of planning a coup.

The ruling against the 70-year-old Bolsonaro came after four of the five judges voted to convict him of conspiring to oust his rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the 2022 presidential elections.

Bolsonaro has become the first former president in Brazil's history to be convicted of assaulting democracy.

Judge Carmen Lucia stated before voting to convict Bolsonaro of the coup attempt: "This criminal case resembles Brazil's encounter with its past, present, and future."

She added that there is sufficient evidence that Bolsonaro acted "with the aim of undermining democracy and institutions."

The ruling was not unanimous as Judge Luiz Fox contradicted his colleagues and acquitted the former president of all charges on Wednesday.

This single vote of acquittal may pave the way for an appeal against the ruling and has also created a sense of relief among the former president's supporters who praised him, viewing it as an acquittal.

The court also convicted four other defendants with military backgrounds in addition to Bolsonaro, who was once a military leader.

This is the first time military officials have been punished for attempting to overthrow democracy since Brazil became a republic nearly 140 years ago.