Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro has been sentenced to 27 years in prison. The panel of judges from Brazil's Supreme Court issued the sentence shortly after finding Bolsonaro guilty of attempting a military coup following his defeat in the 2022 election.
Bolsonaro's lawyers issued a statement calling the sentence "meaningless and disproportionate" and promised to appeal "at all levels, including internationally."
Four out of five judges on the Supreme Court found the 70-year-old Bolsonaro guilty of plotting to remain in power after he lost the 2022 election to his leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
According to the judges' findings, the plot culminated on January 8, 2023, when Bolsonaro's supporters stormed government buildings, even though it failed to garner sufficient support from the military.
One judge acquitted Bolsonaro, and the final judge was hesitant for a long time, but a simple majority was sufficient to convict the former president.
