In a historic and deeply polarizing ruling, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court (STF) has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison. The conviction, delivered by the court’s First Panel, found him guilty of attempting to abolish the democratic state, leading an armed criminal organization, and conspiring to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election. The sentence marks a watershed moment in Brazil’s modern political history, drawing sharp reactions across the nation and the world.

The ruling against Bolsonaro is unprecedented in scope. Never before has a former Brazilian head of state faced such severe consequences for subverting democracy. A majority of justices rejected the defense’s challenges and accepted prosecutors’ evidence that Bolsonaro worked closely with senior aides, former ministers, and sympathetic military officials to undermine democratic institutions and orchestrate a coup attempt following his election defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro’s conviction included charges that extended beyond his rhetoric of contesting election results. Prosecutors successfully argued that he deliberately sought to erode faith in Brazil’s electoral system, incited violent protests, and provided logistical and political backing for groups that stormed government buildings in early 2023. Evidence also tied him to broader conspiracies involving paramilitary groups and secretive meetings where coup scenarios were openly discussed.

The First Panel of the STF, comprising five justices, emphasized that Bolsonaro’s actions constituted a direct threat to Brazil’s democratic order. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a vocal critic of Bolsonaro throughout his presidency, stated in the ruling that “the deliberate attempt to abolish democracy cannot be excused as mere........

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