Brazilian Supreme Court panel sentences Bolsonaro to more than 27 years
in prison for coup attempt
[September 12, 2025]
By MAURICIO SAVARESE and GABRIELA SÁ PESSOA
BRASILIA, Brazil (AP) — A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices
sentenced former president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months
in prison Thursday after convicting him of attempting a coup to remain
in office despite his 2022 electoral defeat.
Bolsonaro, who has always denied any wrongdoing, can try to appeal the
ruling. He is currently under house arrest in Brasilia.
Four of the five justices reviewing the case in the panel found the
far-right politician guilty on five counts, in a ruling that will deepen
political divisions and was expected to prompt a backlash from the U.S.
government. It makes Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president
to be convicted of attempting a coup.
The five counts are: attempting a coup after losing the 2022 race to
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in a plot that prosecutors alleged
included plans to kill Lula; participating in an armed criminal
organization; attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law;
damage qualified by violence; and deterioration of listed heritage.
Bolsonaro’s co-conspirators, all of them former Brazilian officials,
were also sentenced for their roles in the attempted coup. Gen. Braga
Netto, Bolsonaro’s former defense minister and running mate in 2022,
received 26 years. Admiral Almir Garnier got 24 years. Gen. Augusto
Heleno received 21 years and Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira got 19 years.
Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, who cooperated with investigations, was
given two years under an open regime.
Chief Justice Luís Roberto Barroso joined the panel at the end of the
session and called the trial a “watershed moment in Brazil’s history.”
US officials call it ‘witch hunt’
The U.S. government immediately criticized the ruling and warned it
would respond.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was “very unhappy” with the
conviction. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he
said he'd always found Bolsonaro to be “outstanding.”
And later, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said on his X account
that Trump’s government “will respond accordingly to this witch hunt.”
Trump's administration had already applied a 50% tariff on imported
Brazilian goods, which it said was in reaction to the process against
Bolsonaro.
Bolsonaro won't go to prison yet
The sentence doesn't mean Bolsonaro will immediately go to prison. The
court panel has now up to 60 days to publish the ruling. Once it does,
Bolsonaro's lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification.
His lawyers have said that they will try to appeal both the conviction
and sentence before the full Supreme Court of 11 justices, although some
experts think it’s unlikely to be accepted.
“It’s unlikely, but not impossible, that there will be appeals to the
full Supreme Court,” said Rafael Mafei, lawyer and law professor at
University of São Paulo and ESPM university. “But of course, the
defenses will try, because they should."
One of the justices, Cármen Lúcia, said she was convinced by the
evidence the Attorney General's Office presented against the former
president. “He is the instigator, the leader of an organization that
orchestrated every possible move to maintain or seize power,” she said.
Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son, said on X the
conviction was a “supreme persecution” and that history would show they
were on the right side.
Trial has divided Brazilians
The trial has been followed by a divided society, with people backing
the process against the former president, while others still support
him. Some have taken to the streets to back the far-right leader who
contends he is being politically persecuted.
Observers say the U.S. might announce new sanctions against Brazil after
the trial, further straining their fragile diplomatic relations.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, said Tuesday
that Bolsonaro was the leader of a coup plot and of a criminal
organization, and voted in favor of convicting him.
Lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, another of the former president’s sons, on
Thursday talked about his father on his social media platforms. But
instead of mentioning his father’s conviction, he pushed for his
amnesty, which he is seeking through Congress.
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A supporter of former President Jair Bolsonaro cries during a vigil
in his support near his home where he is under house arrest in
Brasilia, Brazil, Thursday, Sept. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
“It is time to do nothing less than what is correct, just,” he said.
Thomas Traumann, a former government minister and political
consultant based in Rio de Janeiro, said it is “the most important
day for Brazil’s democracy since the 1988 constitution was
approved.”
“It is the first time a former President, a former Defense minister
and a former military commander are punished for trying to stop an
elected government from taking office,” Traumann said.
“The threats of the American government make this decision of the
Supreme Court an even braver one. The relations between the two
countries will get worse and maybe get better once the Trump
administration understands there are limits to the will it wants to
impose,” he added.
Bolsonaro remains a political force
Justice Luis Fux, in his dissenting opinion on Wednesday, disagreed
with de Moraes and the other two justices, casting the lone
acquittal vote.
“No one can be punished for cogitation,” Fux said. “A coup d’état
does not result from isolated acts or individual demonstrations
lacking coordination, but rather from the actions of organized
groups, equipped with resources and strategic capacity to confront
and replace the incumbent power.”
Bolsonaro faced accusations he attempted to illegally hang onto
power after his 2022 electoral defeat to current President Luiz
Inacio Lula da Silva.
Prosecutors charged Bolsonaro with counts including attempting to
stage a coup, being part of an armed criminal organization,
attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, as well
as being implicated in violence and posing a serious threat to the
state’s assets and listed heritage.
“Bolsonaro attempted a coup in this country, and there is hundreds
of pieces of evidence,” Lula said early Thursday in an interview
with local TV Band, ahead of the trial.
Bolsonaro already barred from running for office
Despite his legal woes, Bolsonaro remains a powerful political
player in Brazil.
The far-right politician had been previously banned from running for
office until 2030 in a separate case. He is expected to choose an
heir who is likely to challenge Lula next year.
The ruling may push Bolsonaro’s allied lawmakers to seek some
amnesty for him through Congress.
“I had the honor to serve as Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s chief of
staff. I have never seen any act from him that wasn’t out of love
for Brazil and absolute honesty. Bolsonaro is the greatest popular
right-wing leader in the country’s history,” Sen. Ciro Nogueira said
on X.
Lindbergh Farias, the Workers' Party leader in the lower house, told
journalists outside the court that the trial “should bury the
discussion about amnesty in Congress.”
“This is for everyone who fought the military dictatorship years
ago. Our democracy is strong now,” Farias said.
After the court panel debates on Bolsonaro's sentence, the embattled
former leader could face increased pressure to pick a political heir
to likely challenge Lula in the general elections next year.
“There is a God in heaven who sees everything, who loves justice and
hates iniquity," former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro wrote on
social media.
___
Sá Pessoa reported from Sao Paulo. Associated Press writer Darlene
Superville, in Washington, D.C., contributed with this report.
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