Brazilian authorities charged former President Jair Bolsonaro and 33 others yesterday with orchestrating a coup after the 2022 presidential election, among other crimes. The country’s Supreme Court will now decide whether to accept the charges in the coming weeks. The indictments mark the first time in the nation’s history that military leaders have been charged with coup-related crimes (listen to history).
After ruling from 2019 to 2023, Bolsonaro lost reelection to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The indictment charges the former army captain with overseeing a plan to poison the president-elect, his vice president, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Four major generals and dozens of aides are accused of planning to assume power amid the storming of government buildings by Bolsonaro supporters Jan. 8, 2023, days into the new administration’s term (how it happened).
The 69-year-old and his codefendants face decades in prison if found guilty. In 2023, the Supreme Court banned Bolsonaro from public office until 2030 for casting doubt on the country's electronic voting system ahead of the election.
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