Bolsonaro convicted of attempted coup: a first in Brazilian history

The Supreme Court finds the former president guilty of leading a conspiracy to overthrow Lula after the 2022 elections

BRASILIA – Jair Messias Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian head of state to be convicted of attempting a coup. The Supreme Court in Brasilia found him guilty of orchestrating a plan to overthrow President-elect Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after his defeat in the 2022 elections.

With three votes in favour out of five, the judges found Bolsonaro guilty of five offences, including attacking the rule of law, conspiracy to commit a coup and membership of a criminal organisation. Three generals, an admiral, a lieutenant colonel and two civilians were also convicted in the same ruling.

Judge Carmen Lúcia Antunes Rocha, whose vote was decisive, said that “a group of key government figures, led by Bolsonaro, carried out a systematic plan to undermine democratic institutions and prevent the alternation of power”.

The reporting judge, Alexandre de Moraes, recalled that the assault on 8 January 2023 “was not a Sunday stroll or a spontaneous act, but the result of a criminal organisation”. The final sentences will be announced tomorrow.

The decision sparked heated controversy: Judge Luiz Fux voted to acquit the former president, arguing that the evidence was insufficient.

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(Photo: © AndKronos)