The Supreme Court has opened a virtual hearing (Nov 7–14) on Jair Bolsonaro's appeal of a 27‑year sentence for an alleged post‑2022 election plot. Prosecutors say the plan faltered when senior military leaders refused to back it, and they allege the plot included high‑level assassination targets. Bolsonaro, under house arrest since August, could face prison if appeals fail, though his 2018 stabbing injuries may allow him to request home detention. The case has triggered major domestic protests and attracted international attention.
Supreme Court Begins Virtual Hearing on Bolsonaro's Appeal of 27‑Year Sentence
The Supreme Court has opened a virtual hearing (Nov 7–14) on Jair Bolsonaro's appeal of a 27‑year sentence for an alleged post‑2022 election plot. Prosecutors say the plan faltered when senior military leaders refused to back it, and they allege the plot included high‑level assassination targets. Bolsonaro, under house arrest since August, could face prison if appeals fail, though his 2018 stabbing injuries may allow him to request home detention. The case has triggered major domestic protests and attracted international attention.
18:48, 07.11.2025Politics
Supreme Court Opens Virtual Hearing on Bolsonaro's Appeal
Brazil's Supreme Court on Friday opened a virtual hearing to review former president Jair Bolsonaro's appeal against a 27‑year prison sentence related to an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2022 election.
The high court had found Bolsonaro guilty in September of attempting to prevent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office. Prosecutors say the plot collapsed when senior military leaders declined to back it, and they allege the scheme included plans to target President Lula, Vice‑President Geraldo Alckmin and at least one Supreme Court justice implicated in the case.
In a notice circulated to AFP, the court said the appeal will be heard in a virtual session running from November 7 to 14. Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since August, and under Brazilian law he will not be transferred to prison until his appeals are exhausted.
Bolsonaro's defence team has argued the conviction contains "ambiguities, omissions, contradictions and obscurities" and is seeking a reduced sentence or reversal. If the appeal is denied, his lawyers may file further challenges, though the court could decline to consider additional pleas.
If all legal avenues are exhausted, the 70‑year‑old former president could be required to serve the 27‑year term. Because he was seriously wounded in a 2018 stabbing and continues to have health issues, Bolsonaro could request to serve any sentence under house arrest — a step previously granted to former president Fernando Collor de Mello, who was allowed to serve nearly a nine‑year corruption sentence at home on health grounds.
The case has had significant political repercussions at home: a proposed congressional amnesty that might have benefited Bolsonaro collapsed after mass street protests. It has also reverberated internationally, drawing criticism and attention from Bolsonaro's supporters abroad, including prominent foreign backers.
The hearing's outcome will determine whether Bolsonaro's conviction and sentence stand, whether his term will be reduced, or whether further legal routes remain. The virtual session from November 7–14 will be closely watched inside Brazil and by international observers concerned about democratic institutions and the rule of law.