Brazil: Bolsonaro Begins Serving 27 Years in Prison for Coup Attempt

Brazilian far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro has started serving a 27-year prison sentence, just three months after his historic conviction for attempting a coup against his rival, Lula. The 70-year-old former leader (2019-2022) had challenged the institutions of Latin America's largest democracy during his tenure.

Politically sidelined with less than a year before the 2026 presidential election, he finds himself incarcerated in a small cell equipped with air conditioning, a television, and a mini-refrigerator. The Supreme Court has deemed that all his appeals have been exhausted, a claim contested by his defense.

Lawyer Paulo Cunha Bueno announced on social media platform X that the defense would "submit the appropriate appeal in due time," following the rejection of a first appeal earlier in November.

Bolsonaro had been under house arrest since early August but was placed in provisional detention on Saturday due to a "high risk of flight" after attempting to burn his electronic monitoring bracelet with a soldering iron. To serve his sentence, he will remain in the same federal police complex in Brasília where he has been since the weekend, according to the decision made by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is presiding over the case.

Thus, he avoids the disgrace and hardships of a penitentiary center like Papuda, also in the capital, where many political figures have been incarcerated.

In September, the Supreme Court found him guilty of being the leader of a "criminal organization" that conspired to ensure his "authoritarian hold on power" following the victory of current leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in the October 2022 elections.

According to prosecutors, this coup plot, which even included plans to assassinate Lula, failed due to a lack of support from high military command.

Judge Moraes noted that Bolsonaro attempted to burn his electronic bracelet in hopes of escaping during a planned demonstration by his supporters near his home. The judge highlighted the proximity of the U.S. embassy, suggesting he might have sought refuge there.

Jair Bolsonaro is an ally of Donald Trump. Denouncing a "witch hunt" against him, the American president imposed punitive tariffs on Brazil in retaliation. However, he significantly eased them after a meeting with Lula in October.

Deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro, the former president's third son, was charged on Tuesday with obstruction of justice after promoting measures taken by Donald Trump aimed at interfering in his father's trial.

To explain the episode involving the electronic bracelet, the former leader's defense cited a "state of mental confusion" due to medication. Bolsonaro himself denied any intention to flee.

"He is outraged (...) by the persecution he is facing. If anything happens to him, we know who is responsible," stated his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, after visiting him on Tuesday morning.

He is "psychologically devastated" and "eats little," shared Carlos Bolsonaro, his younger son. His family believes that the former president cannot bear the detention, as he suffers from serious aftereffects from a knife attack in 2018. His defense is seeking to have him return to house arrest.

Five of his former aides, including several generals and former ministers, have also begun serving sentences ranging from 19 to 26 years in prison.

The former head of intelligence, Alexandre Ramagem, sentenced to 16 years, has been declared a "fugitive" after recently fleeing to the United States.

Jair Bolsonaro is the fourth former Brazilian president to be incarcerated since the end of the military dictatorship (1964-1985). The most recent case was Fernando Collor (1990-1992), who was allowed by the Supreme Court in May to serve his sentence of over eight years for corruption at home due to health reasons.

Convicted for corruption, Lula spent 580 days in prison from 2018 to 2019. In 2021, his convictions were annulled due to procedural flaws.

The downfall of the undisputed leader of the conservative camp leaves his supporters without a designated champion for the 2026 presidential election against Lula, who at 80 has already stated he will seek a fourth term.