The former president of Brazil, Jair Bolsonaro, has been sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison after being found guilty of plotting a military coup.
A panel of five Supreme Court justices handed down the sentence just hours after they had convicted the former leader.
They ruled he was guilty of leading a conspiracy aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Four of the justices found him guilty while one voted to acquit him. Bolsonaro's lawyers have called the sentence 'absurdly excessive' and said that they would file 'the appropriate appeals'.
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.
But he has in the past said it was designed to prevent him from running in the 2026 presidential election - even though he had already been barred from public office on separate charges. He has also called it a 'witch hunt'.
His words have previously been echoed by US President, Donald Trump, who imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, framing them as retaliation for Bolsonaro's prosecution.
Reacting to the guilty verdict, Trump said he found it 'very surprising' and compared it to his own experience.
In a follow-up statement, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio stated that Brazil's Supreme Court had 'unjustly ruled to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro' and threatened to respond accordingly to this witch hunt.
Brazil's foreign ministry quickly reacted, asserting that threats from the US would not intimidate their democracy.
Bolsonaro faces the prospect of spending his remaining years in prison. His legal team plans to argue for a house arrest option and will appeal the conviction despite legal experts suggesting this could be difficult to achieve.
Bolsonaro was found guilty on multiple charges related to his attempts to retain power after losing the election, with prosecutors suggesting he had plotted to stay in power long before the election results were announced.
The justices found he had led a conspiracy and also convicted seven of his co-conspirators, which included senior military officers. While the plot lacked sufficient military support, it culminated in the storming of government buildings by supporters on January 8, 2023, calling into question Brazil's democratic resilience.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the trial, warned that Brazil had come close to descending into authoritarianism due to Bolsonaro's actions. This sentiment was echoed by Justice Cármen Lúcia, who emphasized the risk of allowing authoritarian tendencies to resurface in Brazil.
This landmark ruling has the potential to significantly alter Brazil's political landscape as the country reflects on its democratic principles.
