Overview

• Bolsonaro’s lawyers filed their final brief on Aug. 14 seeking acquittal and arguing there is no solid proof linking him to a coup plot
• The ex-president has been confined to house arrest since Aug. 5 after Judge Alexandre de Moraes ruled he breached court-imposed restrictions
• A five-judge STF panel will decide on five charges—including attempted coup and participation in an armed criminal organization—during the Sept. 2–12 window
• Prosecutors have relied on handwritten notes, digital files, messaging records and testimony from Lt. Col. Mauro Cid to link Bolsonaro to draft decrees aimed at annulling the 2022 election
• International tensions persist as President Trump labels the trial a “witch hunt” and the U.S. enforces 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports