Former president Jair Bolsonaro risks up to 42 years in prison for the attempted coup d’état of January 8, 2023, according to the verdict of the Brazilian Supreme Court. Discover all the stages of the process and the repercussions on Brazil’s politics.
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is one step away from the definitive sentence for the attempted coup d’état of 8 January 2023, according to the verdict of the first section of the Supreme Court of Brazil, which has now reached the majority necessary to judge it guilty.
The Brazilian judiciary is experiencing a crucial phase: the decision of the judges represents one of the most significant episodes in the recent history of the country. After the votes in favor of the condemnation of judge Carmen Lúcia Antunes Rocha and colleagues Alexandre De Moraes and Flavio Dino, the Court established that Bolsonaro – together with important figures of his administration – is responsible for having plotted to destabilize the Brazilian democratic order and to have guided a real plan aimed at undermining the democratic alternation in power.
Key accusations: coup d’état and crimes against institutions
Bolsonaro is considered guilty not only of attempted coup, but also of attack on institutions and belonging to a criminal organization. Judge Rocha, whose vote proved to be decisive, underlined how the former president has orchestrated, with the collaboration of key members of his government, a systematic action against democracy.
According to the investigating judge Alexandre de Moraes, the facts of January 8, 2023 were neither random nor isolated, but the result of an operation planned by a criminal group.
The other defendants in the trial
In addition to Bolsonaro, some of the most influential characters of the institutions and armed forces of the time include among the defendants: the former director of the intelligence Alexandre Ramagem, the former commander of the Navy Almir Garnier, the former defense minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, and other prominent figures such as Anderson Torres, Augustus Heleno, Mauro Cid and Walter Braga Netto.
This network, according to the magistrates, would be responsible for the heart of the Golder conspiracy.
The next moves: expected for the final penalty
Bolsonaro, supported by the religious faith of his evangelical supporters and by the constant presence of his wife Michelle, is experiencing the crucial hours of the process under house arrest.
The Supreme Court will bring together for the determination of the sentence, which could reach up to 42 years of imprisonment and involve the immediate transfer to prison. The final sentence is expected in the next few hours, marking a moment of turning point for Brazilian justice and policy.
