Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years in prison.
A panel of judges from Brazil’s Supreme Court has found Bolsonaro guilty of orchestrating a military coup attempt after his defeat in the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers issued a statement calling the verdict “grossly disproportionate” and stressing that it would be appealed “in all instances, including international.”
Four of the court’s five judges found Bolsonaro, 70, guilty of leading a coup plot. The plot was intended to preserve his power despite his defeat in 2022 by his leftist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who still holds the position of president of Brazil.
The judges found that although the conspiracy did not involve a large number of military personnel, it nevertheless led to the attack on government buildings by Bolsonaro supporters on January 8, 2023.
One judge voted to acquit Bolsonaro, while another took a long time to reach a decision, but a simple majority was enough to find him guilty and convict him.
