Particle.news
Download on the App Store
4 ARTICLES
·
16h ago

Brazil’s Supreme Court to Start Verdict Phase in Bolsonaro Coup Trial

The former president awaits judgment under tightened surveillance with the prospect of a multi-decade sentence.

FILE - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, right, and new Supreme Court Justice Cristiano Zanin, pose for photos after his swearing-in ceremony, in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug. 3, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
FILE - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva surveys the damage at the Planalto Palace after it was stormed by supporters of former President Jair Bolsonaro, in Brasilia, Brazil, Jan. 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)
FILE - An electronic billboard with an image of President Jair Bolsonaro and text that reads in Portuguese: "Moraes orders house arrest for Bolsonaro," towers over a caravan of supporters protesting the house arrest order, in Brasilia, Brazil, Aug. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, File)
FILE - Former President Jair Bolsonaro talks with reporters after arriving at the airport in Brasilia, Brazil, June 30, 2023, days after he was barred from running for office again until 2030 after a panel of judges concluded that he abused his power and cast unfounded doubts on the country's electronic voting system. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

Overview

  • A five-justice panel opens proceedings Tuesday in Brasília and has until Sept. 12 to vote, with a three-vote majority sufficient to convict.
  • Bolsonaro and seven allies face five counts, with prosecutors alleging he led a plot to overturn the 2022 result and was aware of assassination plans targeting Lula and Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
  • He remains under house arrest with an ankle monitor, a social media ban and round-the-clock surveillance, and a new court order mandates inspections of all vehicles leaving his residence and monitoring of exterior areas.
  • Conviction could bring roughly 40 years in prison with immediate custody, followed by possible appeals to the full Supreme Court and likely special incarceration arrangements.
  • The case has strained ties with the United States after President Donald Trump linked a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods to the trial and the U.S. Treasury sanctioned Justice de Moraes, prompting nationalist pushback in Brazil.