Brazil's Supreme Court orders Jair Bolsonaro to begin prison sentence after defense team declines to file second appeal.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered by the country's highest court to start serving his 27-year prison sentence, following a decision by his defense team not to pursue a second appeal. Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting to stage a coup and undermine Brazil's democratic rule of law, after losing the 2022 presidential election to left-wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, who served nearly three decades as a congressman before becoming president from 2019 to 2023, had accused election officials of rigging the results. However, his defense team's repeated claims were rejected by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, leading them to abandon their appeal.
According to sources close to the case, Bolsonaro will be taken into custody at Brazil's Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia, where he is currently being held. This marks the end of a tumultuous period for the far-right leader and his allies, who had held protests and blockaded highways across the country before his conviction.
Critics have long accused Bolsonaro of undermining democratic institutions, with some even suggesting that he was plotting to spark a military coup against Lula's government. The Brazilian Supreme Court found him guilty of attempting to subvert the constitution and participating in an armed conspiracy.
Bolsonaro had faced a flight risk before his conviction, as US President Donald Trump had called for Brazil to drop the case and imposed tariffs on some of its exports. However, with the Supreme Court now ruling that he must start serving his sentence, it seems unlikely that Bolsonaro will be able to escape prosecution.
The decision is seen as a major blow to Bolsonaro's reputation and has left many Brazilians feeling vindicated by the justice system's response to his claims of electoral fraud. The former president's conviction marks one of the most significant cases of democratic erosion in recent Brazilian history, and it remains to be seen how this will affect the country's politics and stability going forward.
In a surprising twist, Bolsonaro had just been released from house arrest earlier that day after being found tampering with his ankle monitor. However, with the Supreme Court now ruling that he must start serving his sentence, it seems that his bid for leniency has come to an end.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered by the country's highest court to start serving his 27-year prison sentence, following a decision by his defense team not to pursue a second appeal. Bolsonaro was convicted of plotting to stage a coup and undermine Brazil's democratic rule of law, after losing the 2022 presidential election to left-wing leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, who served nearly three decades as a congressman before becoming president from 2019 to 2023, had accused election officials of rigging the results. However, his defense team's repeated claims were rejected by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, leading them to abandon their appeal.
According to sources close to the case, Bolsonaro will be taken into custody at Brazil's Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia, where he is currently being held. This marks the end of a tumultuous period for the far-right leader and his allies, who had held protests and blockaded highways across the country before his conviction.
Critics have long accused Bolsonaro of undermining democratic institutions, with some even suggesting that he was plotting to spark a military coup against Lula's government. The Brazilian Supreme Court found him guilty of attempting to subvert the constitution and participating in an armed conspiracy.
Bolsonaro had faced a flight risk before his conviction, as US President Donald Trump had called for Brazil to drop the case and imposed tariffs on some of its exports. However, with the Supreme Court now ruling that he must start serving his sentence, it seems unlikely that Bolsonaro will be able to escape prosecution.
The decision is seen as a major blow to Bolsonaro's reputation and has left many Brazilians feeling vindicated by the justice system's response to his claims of electoral fraud. The former president's conviction marks one of the most significant cases of democratic erosion in recent Brazilian history, and it remains to be seen how this will affect the country's politics and stability going forward.
In a surprising twist, Bolsonaro had just been released from house arrest earlier that day after being found tampering with his ankle monitor. However, with the Supreme Court now ruling that he must start serving his sentence, it seems that his bid for leniency has come to an end.