Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has filed an appeal against his 27-year prison sentence for his role in a failed coup attempt following his election defeat against the current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022, officials said.
According to the Brazilian constitution, Supreme Court judges will decide on the deadline before the appeal is taken up for hearing. In September, four of the five judges of the Supreme Court panel voted to convict Bolsonaro of five crimes.
These included taking part in an armed and criminal conspiracy and attempting to violently abolish democracy while organising a coup.
The coup attempt included assassinating Lula, his vice president, Geraldo Alckmin and Alexandre de Moraes, one of the five Supreme Court judges who decided Bolsonaro's fate. Prosecutors said that the alleged plan failed due to a lack of support from the Brazilian military.
After a relentless trial, the court found Bolsonaro guilty of hatching a criminal conspiracy against the current government and sentenced him to 27 years in prison. The former president, who led Brazil from 2019 to 2023, has been under house arrest since August. Under Brazilian law, he will not be sent to prison until all legal avenues have been pursued.
Brazil transitioned to democracy in the 1980s after decades of military dictatorship marred by corruption and authoritarian rule. The military coup in 1964 established a repressive regime. The country faced severe economic instability, characterised by poverty and social unrest.
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