Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison for his role in a conspiracy to overthrow the democratic government. In Thursday’s verdict, four out of five judges found him guilty, while one judge voted for acquittal.
According to BBC reports, Bolsonaro allegedly led a conspiracy to avoid defeat in the 2022 elections against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He was convicted on five serious charges: armed criminal conspiracy, attempts to destroy democratic governance, planning an insurrection, destruction of government property, and vandalism of national heritage sites.
Although Lula da Silva was peacefully sworn in as president on January 1, 2023, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters carried out violent attacks in the capital Brasília on January 8. They targeted and vandalized key institutions, including the Congress, Supreme Court, and Presidential Palace. Nearly 1,500 people were arrested following intervention by security forces.
Bolsonaro, a former military officer who served as Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022, is currently under house arrest. He denies the charges, claiming he is the victim of political persecution.
Source: BBC