Brazil:Bolsonaro sentenced to 27 years in prison for plotting coup

Brazil's Supreme Court on Thursday sentenced ex-president Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison after convicting him of plotting a coup.The 70-year-old risks spending the rest of his life behind bars after four out of five judges voted to convict him of plotting to overthrow Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated him in the 2022.Four of the justices found him guilty while one voted to acquit him.The Supreme Court panel also barred him from running for public office until 2033.
Bolsonaro, who was put under house arrest after being deemed a flight risk, did not attend this final phase of the trial in person.Bolsonaro was found guilty of five charges, all relating to his attempt to cling to power after he was beaten in the 2022 election. But prosecutors said he had started to plot to stay in power long before, proposing a coup to military commanders and sowing unfounded doubts about the electoral system. They also said that Bolsonaro knew of a plan to assassinate Lula and his vice-presidential running mate, as well as a Supreme Court Justice.
US President Donald Trump reacted to the conviction and said that he was “very unhappy” with it. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he said he always found Bolsonaro to be “outstanding.”  Secretary of State Marco Rubio took a different tone and said that Washington will "respond to the unjust” verdict without specifying what that response would be. Lawyers for Bolsonaro have said they will appeal the verdict to the full Supreme Court of 11 justices.