BRASILIA, Brazil, 8 November (H.S.): A Brazilian Supreme Court panel on Friday rejected an appeal from former President Jair Bolsonaro, upholding his conviction and 27-year prison sentence for orchestrating a coup attempt following his 2022 electoral defeat. The decision marks a significant setback for the far-right leader, who has been under house arrest since August.

The majority of justices on the reviewing panel dismissed the appeal, with Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the case's rapporteur, labeling the defense's arguments as unfeasible and affirming that no errors were made in the initial sentencing.

In September, Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty on multiple charges, including attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law and participating in an armed criminal organization in a plot to remain in power after losing the election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro's legal team had filed the appeal on October 28, arguing that the charges against him were redundant and that the cumulative penalties were unjust. They also cited the dissenting opinion from the original trial, suggesting Bolsonaro had voluntarily ceased his actions. However, the reviewing panel found sufficient evidence that Bolsonaro acted freely and knowingly to spread disinformation and draft a coup decree.

While the formal decision will not be finalized until all justices have cast their votes by the November 14 deadline, the current majority makes a reversal highly improbable. Bolsonaro will only begin to formally serve his prison sentence once all avenues of appeal have been fully exhausted.

The case has drawn international attention, initially causing a diplomatic rift with the United States after President Donald Trump criticized the conviction as a witch hunt and imposed tariffs on Brazilian goods. Relations between the two countries have since shown signs of improvement.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar