Brazil’s attorney general has charged former President Jair Bolsonaro with overseeing a vast scheme to hold onto power after losing the 2022 election, including plots to annul votes, disband courts, and assassinate the nation’s president-elect. The charges accuse Mr. Bolsonaro of orchestrating a series of crimes against Brazil’s democracy, similar to those made by his friend President Trump.
The indictment, which includes allegations that Mr. Bolsonaro planned to declare a “state of siege” and order the arrest of Supreme Court justices, suggests that Brazil came close to plunging back into military rule nearly four decades into its modern democracy. If convicted, Mr. Bolsonaro could face 12-40 years in prison.
In a statement, Mr. Bolsonaro compared his case to President Trump’s, claiming it was an attempt to “criminalize” his political movement and silence millions of Brazilians. The Supreme Court will decide whether to order Mr. Bolsonaro’s arrest and have him face trial.
Brazil’s electoral court has already ruled that Mr. Bolsonaro is ineligible to run in the presidential election next year, and the attorney general is weighing two other criminal cases against him. This case could be a significant test for Brazil’s democracy, with the Supreme Court justice overseeing the case arguably being his political archrival.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/02/18/world/americas/brazil-bolsonaro-coup-charges.html