Brazil’s attorney general has charged former president Jair Bolsonaro and several key allies with leading a far-right conspiracy to cling to power through a military coup. The charges, made on Tuesday night, accuse Bolsonaro of crimes including attempting a coup d’état, forming an armed criminal association, and abolishing the rule of law.
Bolsonaro lost the 2022 presidential election to leftwing victor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva but refused to accept defeat. On January 8, 2023, his hardcore supporters ran riot in Brasília, trashing key buildings in an attempt to overturn the results.
The attorney general’s office accuses Bolsonaro of being aware of a plot to assassinate top authorities, including Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, with the sinister plan known as “Green and Yellow Dagger.” The 272-page report claims that Bolsonaro agreed to the plan.
Bolsonaro could face 38-43 years in jail if convicted. Opposition politicians and progressive Brazilians have welcomed the formal accusations, seeing them as a crucial step in defending democracy and the rule of law. Historian Carlos Fico says the indictment of high-ranking military figures is particularly noteworthy, as it marks an unprecedented move against those who were never properly punished for crimes committed during Brazil’s 1964 military dictatorship.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/feb/19/jair-bolsonaro-charged-alleged-brazil-coup