Brazil Supreme Court Rejects Bolsonaro's Appeal Against 27-Year Prison Sentence for Coup Attempt

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to over 27 years in prison for orchestrating a coup attempt following his electoral defeat.

On Friday, the majority of Brazil's Supreme Court panel members dismissed Bolsonaro's appeal against his conviction. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, serving as the case's rapporteur, rejected all defense arguments, describing them as "unfeasible" and confirming there were no omissions in the sentencing. Justices Flávio Dino and Cristiano Zanin supported de Moraes' position. Justice Cármen Lúcia has yet to cast her vote but is anticipated to align with her colleagues.

The panel has until November 14 to submit their complete votes, and the decision will not be finalized until that deadline passes. Though unlikely, justices retain the option to alter their votes before the final ruling.

Bolsonaro received his conviction in September for attempting to overthrow the government after losing the 2022 election, resulting in a 27-year and three-month prison sentence. Since August, he has remained under house arrest.

His defense team filed an appeal on October 28 requesting a sentence reduction. They argued that Bolsonaro should not face dual convictions for organizing a coup and attempting to violently abolish democracy, claiming these charges overlap and that cumulative penalties represent double jeopardy.

Throughout the proceedings, Bolsonaro has maintained his innocence. His conviction stems from attempting a coup after his 2022 electoral loss to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a conspiracy that prosecutors alleged included plans to assassinate Lula. Additional convictions included participating in an armed criminal organization and attempted violent abolition of democratic governance.

The defense also referenced Justice Luiz Fux, who cast the sole dissenting vote in the original five-member panel, suggesting that even if Bolsonaro had initiated a coup attempt, he "deliberately interrupted the course of events" rather than carrying it through to completion.

However, Fux is no longer serving on the panel and will not participate in reviewing the appeals.

Justice de Moraes emphasized that substantial evidence demonstrated Bolsonaro's awareness of the coup plot designed to maintain his grip on power.

"Evidence clearly showed that the appellant acted deliberately and knowingly to disseminate false information about the electronic voting system and to draft a coup decree, which constituted an attempted coup d'état and a violent effort to dismantle the rule of law," he stated.

Bolsonaro will not begin serving his prison term until all appeals have been exhausted.

The trial attracted international attention. U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports, citing Bolsonaro's case among his justifications, which he characterized as a "witch hunt."

This action precipitated a severe deterioration in U.S.-Brazil diplomatic relations, which experts described as reaching their lowest point in over two centuries of bilateral history.

Relations have since improved. President Lula and Trump spoke by telephone and subsequently met in Malaysia during the ASEAN summit last month.