Brazil's Bolsonaro sentenced to over 27 years in prison

BRASILIA — Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison on Thursday after four out of five Supreme Federal Court justices voted to convict him of attempting a coup.

Justices Carmen Lucia and Cristiano Zanin cast their votes to convict him on Thursday.

Bolsonaro was found guilty on five counts: plotting a coup d'etat, attempting to violently abolish the democratic rule of law, participating in an armed criminal organization, causing aggravated damage and deteriorating listed heritage sites.

The Supreme Federal Court opened the case on Sept 2, with a conviction requiring a majority of the five-justice panel reviewing the case.

Justices Alexandre de Moraes and Flavio Dino found Bolsonaro guilty of the related charges on Tuesday, while Justice Luiz Fux voted for acquittal on Wednesday.

The sentence doesn't mean Bolsonaro will immediately go to prison. The court panel now has up to 60 days to publish the ruling. Once it does, his lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification.

The 70-year-old former president is currently under house arrest. He may still appeal the verdict to the full Supreme Federal Court of 11 justices.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Thursday said the United States would respond, without specifying how, after Bolsonaro was convicted.

"The political persecutions by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes continue, as he and others on Brazil's supreme court have unjustly ruled to imprison former president Jair Bolsonaro," Rubio wrote on X.

"The United States will respond accordingly to this witch hunt," he said.

Brazil's Foreign Ministry called Rubio's comment a threat that "attacks Brazilian authority and ignores the facts and the compelling evidence in the records." The ministry said Brazilian democracy would not be intimidated by the United States.

"Well, I watched that trial. I know him pretty well — foreign leader. I thought he was a good president of Brazil, and it's very surprising that could happen very much like they tried to do with me, but they didn't get away with it at all," US President Donald Trump told reporters when asked about Bolsonaro being found guilty and if that means additional sanctions. Trump has threatened tariffs on the South American country for its persecution of Bolsonaro.

In July, he imposed 50 percent tariffs on most Brazilian goods to fight what he has called a "witch hunt" against Bolsonaro.