Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro commenced his 27-year imprisonment on Tuesday for orchestrating a coup following his defeat in the 2022 presidential elections, a development that many in Brazil had questioned. Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered Bolsonaro’s confinement at Brazil’s Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia after he allegedly removed his ankle monitor using a soldering iron.
Bolsonaro will be isolated from other inmates at the facility, residing in a 12-square-metre room equipped with essential amenities such as a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, TV, and a desk. Brazilian law permitted the option of transferring the 70-year-old to a local penitentiary or a prison room in a military facility in Brasilia.
The former president, along with his associates, was convicted by a group of Supreme Court justices for plotting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic system post the 2022 election loss. The scheme involved a plan to eliminate President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Vice-President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice de Moraes, as well as inciting an insurrection in early 2023.
In addition to leading an armed criminal group, Bolsonaro was found guilty of attempting to violently dismantle the democratic rule of law. Despite the charges, Bolsonaro has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
Earlier on the same day, the highest court in Brazil formally closed Bolsonaro’s case, affirming that all appeals had been exhausted and the guilty verdict had become final, dismissing his appeal this month.
Despite his incarceration and ineligibility to run for office until 2030, Bolsonaro remains a prominent figure in Brazilian politics, with polls indicating his potential competitiveness in the upcoming election if permitted to participate. He has been a close ally of former U.S. President Donald Trump, who criticized the trial as a “witch hunt” and was part of the decision to increase tariffs on Brazilian exports by 50 percent.
Before his recent detention, Bolsonaro had spent over 100 days under house arrest in Brasilia in a separate case involving allegations of seeking Trump’s intervention to impede legal proceedings against him. Relations between the two countries have since improved, with significant tariff increases being rescinded after meetings between Lula and Trump.