A panel of Brazilian Supreme Court justices sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years and three months in prison on Thursday after convicting him of plotting a coup to cling to power after his 2022 election loss.
The far-right politician who governed Brazil between 2019 and 2022 has always denied any wrongdoing. He is currently under house arrest in Brasilia and can appeal the ruling.
Four of the five justices reviewing the case in the panel found Bolsonaro guilty on five counts, in a ruling that will deepen political divisions and was expected to prompt a backlash from the U.S. government. It makes Bolsonaro is the first former Brazilian president to be convicted of attempting a coup.
The U.S. government immediately criticized the ruling and warned it would respond.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he was "very unhappy" with the conviction. Speaking to reporters as he departed the White House, he said he'd always found Bolsonaro to be "outstanding."
