Brasilia, September 12(HS): Brazil’s Supreme Court has reached a majority to convict former president Jair Bolsonaro of plotting a coup to retain power after his 2022 electoral defeat, marking a watershed moment in the country’s democratic history.
On Thursday, Justice Carmen Lucia became the third judge out of five to find the 70-year-old far-right leader guilty of leading a criminal conspiracy aimed at toppling current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. With the majority secured, Bolsonaro now faces the prospect of more than 40 years in prison if found guilty on all five counts, including inciting the violent January 2023 riots that targeted Brazil’s top democratic institutions.
Although the ruling is not yet final, the outcome rests with the final vote of Justice Cristiano Zanin, a former lawyer for President Lula. Justice Luiz Fux remains the only member of the court so far to vote for acquittal, calling the proceedings “political.”
“The law must apply equally to all,” Justice Lucia declared in court, underscoring the trial’s significance for Brazil’s democracy, which emerged from two decades of military dictatorship in 1985.
Political Fallout and International Tensions
Bolsonaro has dismissed the case as “political persecution,” a claim echoed by his ally, former U.S. president Donald Trump, who denounced the trial as a “witch hunt.” In a striking escalation, Trump’s administration imposed 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports and sanctioned Supreme Court justices, triggering a serious rift between Washington and Brasília.
The former president, who has been under house arrest since last month, has not appeared at the televised hearings but watched proceedings from his residence. He is also accused of knowing about alleged assassination plots against President Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and presiding Justice Alexandre Moraes.
Bolsonaro’s supporters have pressed for an amnesty law in Congress to shield him from imprisonment, while his critics hail the trial as a “historic reparation” for Brazil’s democratic order.
The nation remains deeply divided. For some, the proceedings are an essential test of accountability after the attempted insurrection, while others denounce them as a political vendetta.
As Brazil braces for the final verdict, the case has already cemented itself as one of the most consequential trials in the country’s modern history—pitting democratic resilience against the specter of authoritarian relapse.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
