Brazil’s ex‑President ordered to serve 27‑year prison sentence for coup plot

Wednesday, November 26, 2025 -The top court in Brazil has finally ordered Jair Bolsonaro — former President of Brazil — to begin a 27‑year prison sentence for orchestrating a coup attempt that aimed to subvert the democratic transfer of power after his defeat in the 2022 elections. 

The sentence, handed down in September 2025 by a panel of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, became final after his defense exhausted appeals.

Under the court’s ruling, Bolsonaro was taken into custody at the federal police headquarters in Brasília. The decision followed a determination by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who cited tampering with an ankle monitor — evidence the former president tried to evade house arrest — as grounds to consider him a flight risk.

This development represents a landmark moment for Brazil’s political and judicial system. It sends a strong signal that attempts to undermine democratic institutions and force through a coup will not go unpunished — even when masterminded by a former head of state. 

The sentence and incarceration serve as a powerful warning for would‑be authoritarian backsliders: democracy and the rule of law remain the ultimate authority.