Brazil’s judiciary and institutions have been hailed as strong defenders of democracy, after former President Jair Bolsonaro was formally accused of plotting a coup to cling to power in the 2022 election. The country’s attorney general has accused Bolsonaro of engineering a sprawling conspiracy involving social media disinformation, street chaos, and even violence against public figures deemed opponents.
Bolsonaro faces up to 40 years in prison for his alleged crimes, which include participating in an attempted coup d’état, forming an armed criminal association, and attempting to abolish the rule of law. In stark contrast to the US, where former President Donald Trump was not held accountable for his anti-democratic acts, Brazil’s institutions have successfully prosecuted those who plotted against its democracy.
Leading leftwing politician Marcelo Freixo praised Brazil as a “more serious democracy than the US”, saying that Bolsonaro’s alleged actions were a clear breach of democratic norms. A former Brazilian secretary of justice, Augusto de Arruda Botelho, described the case as “historic” and highlighted the importance of holding those in power accountable for their actions.
Despite his arrest being seen as a blow to his political career, experts believe that Bolsonaro’s legacy of “political criminality” remains strong in Brazil. Constitutional law professor Conrado Hübner Mendes acknowledged that there was sufficient evidence for Bolsonaro to be found guilty at trial, but doubted it would deal a fatal blow to his hard-right successors.
The case has been hailed as a significant milestone in Brazil’s struggle to maintain its democracy, and serves as a contrast to the US’s failure to hold Trump accountable for his actions. As one expert noted, “In the US Trump encouraged an attempted coup through the storming of the Capitol and emerged unpunished. In Brazil Bolsonaro led an attempted coup and he is going to jail.”
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/brazil-jair-bolsonaro-coup