Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro began his 27-year prison term on Tuesday for orchestrating a coup to retain power after losing the 2022 presidential election, a development many in Brazil had questioned. Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro’s imprisonment at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia following his removal of an ankle monitor using a soldering iron.
Bolsonaro, isolated from other inmates, is housed in a 12-square-meter room equipped with essential amenities such as a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, TV, and desk. While Brazilian law allowed for his transfer to a local penitentiary or a prison in Brasilia, he remains at the federal police headquarters.
Convicted alongside his allies by the Supreme Court justices, Bolsonaro was found guilty of a conspiracy to overthrow Brazil’s democracy post the 2022 election defeat. The plot involved targeting President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes, with plans for inciting an insurrection in early 2023.
Charges against Bolsonaro included leading an armed criminal group and attempting to violently dismantle the democratic rule of law, all of which he has consistently denied. The Supreme Court concluded his case, dismissing all appeals and affirming the guilty verdict, leaving no room for further legal challenges.
Despite his imprisonment and ineligibility to run for office until 2030 as per Brazil’s electoral court ruling, Bolsonaro remains a prominent political figure, with polls indicating he would be a strong contender in future elections if permitted to run. Notably, he maintains a close relationship with former U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticized the trial as a “witch hunt.”
Prior to his detention, Bolsonaro had been under house arrest in Brasilia for over 100 days in a separate case involving allegations of seeking Trump’s intervention to obstruct legal proceedings against him. Subsequent to improved relations between the U.S. and Brazil, higher tariffs imposed by the U.S. have been reduced following meetings between Trump and Lula.
