BRASÍLIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court has sentenced seven individuals to prison terms of up to 17 years for their involvement in the coup attempt led by former president Jair Bolsonaro.
The high court had previously convicted and sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years in September for his role in the failed coup following his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Seven senior former aides to Bolsonaro were also sentenced during that earlier trial.
This case has triggered a diplomatic crisis with the United States, where President Donald Trump has accused Brazilian authorities of conducting a witch hunt against his longtime ally.
Trump has imposed steep tariffs on a variety of Brazilian products in response to the legal proceedings.
On Tuesday, the court convicted a federal police officer, five military personnel, and the president of an independent electoral audit institute for spreading disinformation about the electronic voting system.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes stated the defendants fabricated and disseminated false narratives about the electoral process to generate social chaos and instability leading to institutional breakdown.
Moraes himself has been sanctioned by Washington over his involvement in the Bolsonaro trial.
The sentences handed down range from seven and a half to 17 years in prison, with defendants having five days to appeal.
Bolsonaro remains under house arrest since August and is banned from posting on social media while awaiting the formal publication of his sentence.
The formal publication of Bolsonaro’s sentence is a necessary step before his lawyers can file an appeal.
The Supreme Court will deliver sentences against 16 more defendants in the coup case in the coming weeks. – AFP
