Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro, will face trial for allegedly attempting to seize power through a military coup, following a ruling by the country’s Supreme Court.
The decision places the far-right leader, who governed from 2019 to 2022, at risk of a prison sentence exceeding 40 years.
The court also ruled that seven of Bolsonaro’s close allies must stand trial for various charges, including participation in an armed criminal organization, coup d’état, and attempting to overthrow Brazilian democracy through violence.
Those implicated include former Defense Ministers Gen. Walter Braga Netto and Gen. Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, former Navy Commander Adm. Almir Garnier Santos, former Security Minister Anderson Torres, ex-spy chief Alexandre Ramagem, former Institutional Security Minister Gen. Augusto Heleno, and Bolsonaro’s former aide, Lt. Col. Mauro Cid, who has secured a plea deal that may reduce his sentence.
Prosecutors allege that these men conspired to keep Bolsonaro in power after his narrow loss to left-wing opponent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 presidential election.
On Wednesday, five Supreme Court judges unanimously determined that there was sufficient evidence to prosecute all defendants, formally designating them as such.
The charges stem from an alleged plot to stage a pro-Bolsonaro coup between the October 2022 election and the January 8, 2023, riots in Brasília—just one week after Lula’s inauguration. The violent attack on government buildings was allegedly part of a last-ditch effort to justify military intervention and reinstall Bolsonaro against the democratic outcome.
“It was a veritable pitched battle … an extraordinarily violent attempted coup d’état,” Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said, showing footage of rioters vandalizing the court and clashing with police.
He described the events as “untamed violence” and “utter insolence,” emphasizing the severity of the crimes.
Investigators claim that in the lead-up to the riots, a covert operation—code-named Green and Yellow Dagger—allegedly included plans to assassinate President Lula and Supreme Court Judge Moraes using poison and firearms to create chaos and justify military intervention.
Brazil’s Attorney General, Paulo Gonet, stated that police had uncovered “a terrifying operation” that involved plotting to kill the president, vice president-elect, and a Supreme Court minister. He added that the conspirators only failed because they were unable to enlist the army commander to their cause.
Following the court’s decision, Bolsonaro responded in a written statement, claiming he was a victim of judicial persecution aimed at ending his political career and silencing Brazil’s right-wing opposition.
“Those in power are determined to ensure I spend the rest of my life in prison so I can never run for president again,” he wrote.
“The Brazilian people are being robbed of their right to choose their leader, and no country can call itself a democracy when its most popular candidate is barred from the ballot through judicial maneuvers,” he added.
