Brazilian Supreme Court Orders Jair Bolsonaro to Begin 27-Year Prison Sentence

Brazil's Supreme Court has directed former president Jair Bolsonaro to start serving a 27-year prison sentence after confirming all his legal appeals have been exhausted. Bolsonaro, aged 70, was convicted in September for attempting to prevent President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections. Prosecutors revealed that the conspiracy even involved plans to assassinate Lula but ultimately failed when senior military officials declined to back the plot.

Once a prominent figure within Brazil's right-wing politics and a former army captain, Bolsonaro is now detained in a small, secure room at police headquarters in Brasilia. The facility includes a bed, air conditioning, television, and a mini-fridge.

Bolsonaro had been confined under house arrest until authorities discovered he tampered with his ankle monitor using a soldering iron. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes cited "serious signs" that Bolsonaro was preparing to flee, referencing a planned vigil outside his residence and the nearby location of the U.S. Embassy. Given Bolsonaro's connections to former U.S. President Donald Trump, concerns arose that he might attempt to seek asylum.

Bolsonaro denied any intention to escape, attributing his actions to "paranoia" induced by medication and previously describing his tampering as an act of mere "curiosity."

The court also decreed that Bolsonaro be kept in a secure officers’ room designated for protected detainees. Additionally, it instructed a military tribunal to evaluate whether he should be stripped of his army captain rank.

His attorney, Paulo Cunha Bueno, decried the decision as unexpected and stated plans to pursue another appeal despite the court's final ruling.

Bolsonaro’s defense raised health concerns, citing complications from a 2018 stabbing incident and ongoing gastric issues causing chronic hiccups and fainting spells, arguing for house arrest. The court rejected these requests. His family echoed concerns over his condition; his son, Carlos Bolsonaro, described him as "extremely fragile and psychologically devastated," noting poor appetite.

Politically, Bolsonaro maintains his innocence and frames his imprisonment as political persecution. His detention leaves Brazil’s conservative faction without a clear leader heading into the 2026 presidential elections, where Lula, now 80 and a former prisoner himself—having spent 18 months incarcerated for corruption before his conviction was overturned—has announced plans to run again.