Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro commenced serving a 27-year prison term on Tuesday for orchestrating a coup to retain power after losing the 2022 presidential election, a development met with skepticism in the nation. Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed Bolsonaro’s confinement at Brazil’s Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia following his alleged removal of an ankle monitor using a soldering iron.
Bolsonaro will be isolated from other inmates at the facility, occupying a 12-square-metre room equipped with essential amenities such as a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, TV, and a desk. While Brazilian law permitted his transfer to a local penitentiary or a prison cell in a military facility in Brasilia, he remains at the federal police headquarters.
The former president, along with his associates, faced convictions by a panel of Supreme Court justices for conspiring to subvert Brazil’s democracy post his election defeat. The conspiracy involved plans to assassinate President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes, alongside inciting insurrection in early 2023. Bolsonaro was also found guilty of leading an armed criminal group and attempting to violently dismantle democratic governance.
Despite his consistent denial of any misconduct, Bolsonaro’s legal options were exhausted as the top court finalized his case, dismissing his appeal. Notably, Bolsonaro’s political influence persists in Brazil despite being barred from running until 2030 as per a separate electoral court ruling. Recent polls indicate his competitiveness in upcoming elections if eligible.
An ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, Bolsonaro faced heightened tariffs on Brazilian exports following Trump’s order, branding the legal proceedings against Bolsonaro as a “witch hunt.” The relationship between the two countries improved post-Bolsonaro’s detention, with Trump and Lula meeting at the ASEAN summit in Malaysia, resulting in tariff reductions on Brazilian exports.
Prior to his recent detention, Bolsonaro was under house arrest in Brasilia for over 100 days in a separate case involving allegations of seeking Trump’s intervention to impede legal proceedings against him.