In a historic ruling, Brazil's Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) has found former conservative President Jair Bolsonaro guilty of crimes against democracy, marking the first time a former Brazilian President has been convicted of such charges.
Bolsonaro, along with six other individuals identified as the "Core 1" of the alleged coup plot, was sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison. The charges included attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d'tat, participation in an armed criminal organization, aggravated damage, and deterioration of listed heritage sites.
The verdict was delivered by a panel of five STF Justices, including Alexandre de Moraes, Flvio Dino, Luiz Fux, Crmen Lcia, and STF President Cristiano Zanin.
As reported by Breitbart, the STF alleged that Bolsonaro conspired with a group of over 30 individuals to stage a coup and overturn the results of the contentious 2022 presidential election. Bolsonaro, then the incumbent President, narrowly lost to the current radical leftist President Luiz Incio Lula da Silva, who is now serving his third term.
The court proceedings were intense, with Justice Fux being the only justice who voted to acquit Bolsonaro, casting his vote at the end of a grueling 15-hour session.
Justice Lcia, who voted to convict Bolsonaro, argued that a "social and political environment conducive to sowing the seeds of anti-democracy" had been cultivated in Brazil since 2021. This environment, she claimed, was aimed at inciting the population and led to the riots of January 8, 2023.
"January 8, 2023, was not a trivial event after a Sunday lunch, when people went out for a stroll," she stated.
Lcia further asserted that the prosecutor general had proven the existence of a criminal organization, led by then-President Bolsonaro, which implemented a progressive and systematic plan to attack institutions and undermine the alternation of power. This organization, according to Lcia, included a digital militia that propagated attacks on the electoral system and electronic voting machines.
"The attempt to abolish the democratic rule of law and the attempted coup dtat make it clear that this is an attempted crime, because if it had been carried out, we would not be here to judge it," Lcia said.
The trial against Bolsonaro is part of a series of legal actions taken against him and his family since he left office in January 2023. In addition to the prison sentence, Bolsonaro, 70, will reportedly receive a new eight-year ban from public office at the end of his 27-year sentence as per the terms of Brazilians Clean Slate laws, effectively ending his political career. Bolsonaro's legal team is expected to file an appeal to the STF.
Bolsonaro, who is currently under highly restrictive house arrest, is legally unable to issue public comments on his conviction. His legal team, however, has announced plans to contest the conviction in international courts such as the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, alleging violations of fundamental rights and due process.
The conviction has drawn international attention, with U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemning the sentencing in a social media post. "The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue, as he and others on Brazils supreme court have unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro,
Sec. Rubio wrote. The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt.
The Brazilian government, through its Foreign Ministry, responded to Sec. Rubio's comments, asserting that his "threats" to attack Brazilian authorities ignore "the facts and compelling evidence in the case files, will not intimidate our democracy."
Meanwhile, Mauro Cid, Bolsonaros former aide-de-campe and the whistleblower in the coup case, was sentenced to two years imprisonment under "open conditions." Reports suggest that Cid plans to move to the United States and reunite with his family after serving his sentence in Brazil.
The political persecution of Bolsonaro was cited by President Donald Trump in an executive order identifying Brazil as a national security threat to the United States, leading to the imposition of a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods entering the U.S.
Simultaneously, Alexandre de Moraes, a self-styled anti fake news crusader known for censoring and persecuting conservative figures in Brazil, was targeted with U.S. human rights sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Act.
Login