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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Verdict and sentencing phase of ‘historic’ election conspiracy
trial of Brazil’s Bolsonaro to begin
Story by the Associated Press
Updated:
6:13 AM EDT, Tue September 2, 2025
Source: AP
The fate of Brazil’s former hung in the balance Tuesday as the
verdict and sentencing phase of his trial for allegedly leading a
conspiracy to stay in power was set to begin.
A panel scheduled sessions on five days through Sept. 12 to decide
whether the far-right ex-leader is guilty of seeking to overturn the
2022 presidential election result, when he was narrowly defeated by
President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Bolsonaro, who denies any wrongdoing, was charged with five counts
related to attempting to stage a coup. He is under house arrest and has
repeatedly said the trial is politically motivated.
That argument made headway with President Donald Trump, who directly
tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally’s judicial
situation. Trump has called the proceedings a “witch hunt” against
a political opponent, triggering nationalist reactions from many
Brazilian politicians.
Bolsonaro is accused of attempting to stage a coup, involvement in an
armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the
democratic rule of law and two counts involving destruction of state
property.
A guilty verdict on the coup plot charge alone carries a sentence of up
to 12 years.
Seven other close allies of Bolsonaro are being tried alongside the
former president, including his former running mate and defense
minister Walter Braga Netto and former defense minister Paulo Sérgio
Nogueira.
Brazil’s top electoral court has already Bolsonaro from running in
elections until 2030 over abuse of power while in office and casting
unfounded doubts on the country’s electronic voting system.
A federal police investigation said efforts to disseminate fake news
about Brazil’s voting system were part of a multipronged plan to keep
Bolsonaro in office.
Part of that plot included a plan to kill Lula and a Supreme Court
justice, the prosecution alleges. It also says that the Jan. 8 riot
when Bolsonaro supporters ransacked top government buildings a week
after Lula took office was an attempt to force military intervention
and oust the new president.
The prosecution finished presenting its case in July and the defense
wrapped up its arguments mid-August.
Shortly thereafter, police accused Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo of
obstruction of justice in a separate case. They said the ex-president
once wanted to flee to Argentina and request political asylum.
Eduardo Bolsonaro moved to the U.S. earlier this year despite holding a
seat in Brazil’s Congress and has sought sanctions against Justice
Alexandre de Moraes who oversees his father’s case. Trump’s
administration imposed such measures in late July.
Authorities see Bolsonaro as a flight risk. In the lead up to the
verdict and sentencing phase, the Supreme Court ordered further
security measures. On Saturday, De Moraes permitted the inspection of
vehicles leaving Bolsonaro’s residence and mandated in-person
surveillance of the area surrounding his home.
Experts have labeled Bolsonaro’s trial as ‘historic’ and
highlighted that it’s the first time high-ranking officials accused
of an attempted coup are being subjected to a criminal trial.
A military dictatorship ruled Brazil for more than two decades between
1964 and 1985, an era for which Bolsonaro has expressed nostalgia. The
government passed a sweeping Amnesty Law in 1979 and Brazil never
prosecuted any of the military officials responsible for the widespread
human rights violations during that era.
Brazil’s violent past has yet to be fully reckoned with, but this
trial marks a historic departure from impunity, said Lucas Figueiredo,
the author of several books about the country’s most recent
dictatorship.
“History will tell whether it is 100% successful, but what we are
seeing today is a movement that breaks with a tradition of military
coups,” he said.
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