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Brazil’s Top Court Initially Rejects Bolsonaro Appeal Over 27-Year Coup Conviction

A four-judge chamber cast provisional votes to uphold the verdict, with the appellate session set to continue through next week.

Overview

  • Justices began hearing the case on Friday and scheduled the appeal window to run until next Friday.
  • All four judges in the chamber voted to deny Jair Bolsonaro’s challenge, maintaining the prison term of 27 years and three months.
  • The votes remain provisional until the session concludes, and Bolsonaro’s team can still pursue another appeal that reports describe as unlikely to succeed.
  • The September ruling found Bolsonaro led a criminal organization to overturn his 2022 defeat and incited the January 8, 2023 storming of Brazil’s top institutions in Brasília.
  • Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August and would only be imprisoned once all appeals are exhausted, as his lawyers allege ambiguities and contradictions in the judgment.