Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered to begin serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted of orchestrating a coup attempt to block his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from assuming power.
The 70-year-old far-right leader, who governed from 2019 to 2022, will serve his sentence in a 12-square-metre bedroom inside a federal police base in Brasília, following a ruling by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday.
Bolsonaro’s case formally ended after the appeal period expired. He had been under house arrest since August but was taken into custody on Saturday after allegedly trying to remove his electronic ankle tag using a soldering iron.
The Supreme Court found Bolsonaro guilty in September of leading a criminal conspiracy that plotted to “annihilate” Brazilian democracy and assassinate both President Lula and Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin. The plot failed when senior military officers refused to participate.
Six of Bolsonaro’s co-conspirators have also been ordered to begin serving their sentences. Among them are former defence minister Gen Paulo Sérgio Nogueira de Oliveira, sentenced to 19 years, and Gen Augusto Heleno, who received 21 years. Both were detained in Brasília.
Former navy commander Adm Almir Garnier Santos was arrested and held on a navy base, while former justice minister Anderson Torres will be moved to a penitentiary for police officials. Another former defence minister, Gen Walter Braga Netto, was already in custody, serving a 26-year sentence.
Bolsonaro’s former intelligence chief, Alexandre Ramagem, fled to the United States to avoid imprisonment after being sentenced to 16 years.
The former president’s imprisonment has sparked celebrations among his critics, who recall his tenure as a period marked by environmental destruction, pandemic mismanagement, and attacks on democratic institutions.
In Rio de Janeiro, local shop owner Mustafa Baba-Aissa hung a banner reading “Bolsonaro’s in jail!” to mark what he called “a day of justice for Brazil”.
Supporters of Bolsonaro, however, have denounced the verdict as political persecution. “He’s been kidnapped,” said Ronny de Souza, a 43-year-old activist gathered outside the police base. “He fought the system, and now the system has unfairly and illegally incarcerated him.”
Despite the anger among Bolsonaro’s base, there have been no large-scale protests so far only small gatherings outside the compound where he has been detained. Analysts say his influence has waned sharply since his arrest and failed attempt to tamper with his monitoring device.
