Brazil’s Supreme Court has rejected Bolsonaro’s appeal of the coup verdict, upholding his 27-year prison sentence for seizing power after the election.
Published November 7, 2025
A five-member panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court has formed a majority to reject former President Jair Bolsonaro’s appeal against his 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup to maintain power after the 2022 presidential election.
The 70-year-old far-right agitator was convicted by the same court in September of trying to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from seizing power. Prosecutors said the plan failed because it lacked support from military leaders.
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Judges Flavio Dino, Alexandre de Moraes and Cristiano Zanin voted to dismiss the appeal by Bolsonaro’s lawyers. The remaining members of the committee have until Nov. 14 to vote on the Supreme Court system.
The former president will only begin serving his sentence after all appeals have been completed.
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August for violating precautionary measures in a separate incident. His lawyers are expected to request that he be allowed to serve the sentence under similar conditions due to health concerns.
Mr Bolsonaro’s lawyers argued that there were “grave irregularities” and “inconsistencies” in his conviction and asked for a reduced sentence.
Three of the Supreme Court justices considered the appeal and voted Friday to dismiss it.
However, the results will not be considered official until midnight Nov. 14, a court-imposed deadline.
Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over the trial and was the first to vote electronically, wrote that lawyers’ claims for Bolsonaro’s sentence to be commuted were “baseless.”
In a 141-page document obtained by AFP, Moraes rejected defense claims that he was given vast amounts of documents and digital files and was prevented from filing a proper case.
He also rejected claims that President Bolsonaro had abandoned the coup, saying that the failure of the coup was solely due to external factors and not because the former president had abandoned it.
Mr. Moraes reaffirmed that there was a deliberate coup attempt orchestrated under Mr. Bolsonaro’s leadership, with sufficient evidence of Mr. Bolsonaro’s involvement.
He reiterated Bolsonaro’s role in inciting the attack on Brazil’s democratic institutions on January 8, when his supporters called for a military takeover to oust Lula.
“The judgment is just.”
Moraes ruled that the sentence of 27 years and three months was based on Bolsonaro’s grave responsibility as president and the gravity and impact of the crime. Moraes said Bolsonaro’s age was already being considered as a mitigating factor.
“The judgment justified every step of the sentencing process,” Moraes wrote.
Two other justices followed suit shortly after.
Bolsonaro may seek to serve time under house arrest due to health issues stemming from the 2018 stabbing.
The trial against Bolsonaro has infuriated his ally, US President Donald Trump, who has imposed sanctions on Brazilian officials and punitive trade tariffs.
However, tensions between Washington and Brasilia have eased in recent months, with talks between President Trump and Lula to negotiate tariff reductions.
Efforts by Bolsonaro’s supporters in Congress to pass an amnesty bill in his favor have stalled following mass protests across the country.
Lula, 80, has said he will seek a fourth term, although Brazil’s large conservative electorate currently lacks supporters ahead of the 2026 presidential election.
