Unveiling the Trial of Brazil’s Ex-President Jair Bolsonaro
President Trump’s decision to impose a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports—which he characterized as a witch hunt, revived interest in the case. Brazil’s top electoral court has banned Bolsonaro from running in elections until 2030 due to abuse of power during his tenure and for casting unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.
Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro is required to wear an electronic ankle monitor as mandated by the Supreme Court. He is currently on trial for allegedly orchestrating a coup plot to retain his position despite losing the 2022 election. The Supreme Court mandated that Bolsonaro wear an ankle monitor and imposed additional restrictions following claims from Federal Police and prosecutors that he poses a flight risk. Authorities cited several social media posts, accusing Bolsonaro of collaborating with his son Eduardo to provoke U.S. interference in the trial and to impose sanctions on Brazilian officials.
On Friday, the US State Department announced visa restrictions on Brazilian judicial officials. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned what he called the unacceptable interference of one country in another’s justice system.
The prosecution charges Bolsonaro with leading an armed criminal organization, attempting to orchestrate a coup, and seeking the violent overthrow of democratic governance, along with aggravated damage and deterioration of designated heritage sites. A federal police investigation identified Bolsonaro as the leader of a criminal organization that has been operational since at least 2021. Police report that following Bolsonaro’s defeat to Lula, the organization plotted to reverse the election outcome.
The prosecution alleges that part of the plot included a plan to kill Lula and a Supreme Court justice. The report states that the January 8 riot, during which Bolsonaro supporters ransacked key government buildings just a week after Lula assumed office, was an effort to compel military intervention and remove the newly elected president.
Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet states, “Bolsonaro’s actions were not limited to a passive stance of resistance to defeat, but were a conscious effort to create an environment conducive to violence and a coup.” In the court order unsealed Friday, Justice Alexandre de Moraes stated that Bolsonaro and his son may have also committed the crimes of coercion during a legal proceeding, obstruction of an investigation involving a criminal organization, and an attack on Brazil’s sovereignty.
Bolsonaro has consistently denied the allegations, claiming he is the target of political persecution. He has reiterated Trump’s stance, labeling the trial a witch hunt. The former leader has been prohibited from using social media. However, on Thursday, he stated on X that those who challenge the system are being punished, silenced, and isolated. Bolsonaro described the restrictive measures implemented on Friday as a supreme humiliation. “I never thought about leaving Brazil, I never thought about going to an embassy, but the precautionary measures are because of that,” he told journalists in Brasilia.
Following the prosecution’s call for a guilty verdict in its final allegations on Tuesday, the defense is expected to present its case in the upcoming weeks. The Supreme Court justices panel that initiated the trial against Bolsonaro is set to vote on his conviction or acquittal. Experts indicate that a decision is anticipated before the year’s end. A guilty verdict on the coup plot charge could result in a sentence of up to 12 years, potentially leading to decades in prison when combined with guilty verdicts on other charges.
Antonio Jose Teixeira Martins, a law professor at Rio de Janeiro State University, stated, “Bolsonaro could be detained even before there’s a verdict.” “Whether this happens or not depends on how events unfold from now on, that is if these new measures prove sufficient to guarantee public order, the application of criminal law and prevent the risk of escape,” Teixeira Martins said.
