Former President Bolsonaro Begins 27-Year Prison Sentence Over Failed Coup Attempt
Ex-president detained amid coup plot fallout.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has commenced serving a staggering 27-year prison sentence following a landmark Supreme Court ruling that upholds his conviction for orchestrating a failed coup aimed at derailing Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva's inauguration after the contentious 2022 elections, marking a dramatic end to his exhaustive legal appeals.
The 70-year-old far-right leader, who fundamentally transformed Brazil's political landscape by galvanising its conservative base, was transferred from house arrest to a fortified room at police headquarters in Brasilia on Saturday after authorities discovered he had tampered with his electronic ankle monitor using a soldering iron, prompting swift intervention to prevent any potential flight.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Court cited compelling evidence of Bolsonaro's intent to evade custody, including suspicious activities during a vigil organised by his son outside his residence and his proximity to the US embassy, amid his well-documented affinity with incoming US President Donald Trump, raising alarms over possible asylum pursuits.
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Accompanying Bolsonaro in the dock are five high-profile co-conspirators, comprising military generals and ex-ministers, each handed sentences ranging from 19 to 26 years for their roles in the abortive insurrection; notably, former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem faces 16 years and remains a fugitive after fleeing to the United States, further complicating the web of accountability.
As Bolsonaro's family decries his deteriorating health—exacerbated by complications from a 2018 stabbing that necessitated multiple surgeries, including persistent gastric issues causing fainting spells—his daughter Carlos revealed he is "extremely fragile and psychologically devastated," barely eating, while his defence team lodges fresh pleas for home confinement; the incarceration leaves Brazil's vast right-wing electorate leaderless ahead of the 2026 polls, where current President Lula, now 80, eyes a historic fourth term.
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