The Federal Supreme Court (STF) has sentenced Brazil’s former president, Jair Bolsonaro (PL), to 27 years in prison for attempting a coup d’état after losing the 2022 elections. The ruling marks a historic moment for social movements, peoples of the territories, and democracy in Brazil, Latin America, and the world. It is the first time a Brazilian ex-president has been punished for this type of crime, despite the country’s experience of a civil-military dictatorship after the coup in its recent past. For leaders of organizations that make up the People’s Summit, the decision shows that mobilizations for democracy must continue resisting.
“Today, September 11, on the 52nd anniversary of the civil-military coup in Chile, we celebrate Bolsonaro’s conviction for his coup attempt in Brazil. At a time when Latin America and the world face wars, genocide in Gaza, the threat of the far right, and the loss of democratic freedoms and human rights, the sentence handed down against Bolsonaro and his accomplices is a cause for joy and a positive sign to continue working and fighting for more just and sustainable societies,” said Eduardo Giesen, Latin America and Caribbean coordinator of the Demand Climate Justice campaign (DCJ) and member of the Political Commission of the People’s Summit.
For Giesen, one strategy to strengthen this global mobilization that must be revived is the People’s Summit. “Today, more than ever, we believe that the People’s Summit can be a space to restore faith in truly democratic social and political paradigms, far from neoliberalism and extractivism, the only way to achieve climate justice,” he argued.
Reparation of the past that goes beyond Brazil and sends a message for the global future
For Lúcia Ortiz, from Friends of the Earth Brazil and a member of the Political Commission of the People’s Summit, the conviction carries weight that transcends borders and connects Brazil’s recent history to struggles across Latin America and the Caribbean. These stories intersect not only because they involve atrocities, rights violations, and the search for reparation through Truth Commissions, but also because they feature figures who reappear in history, such as the convicted General Augusto Heleno.
“It is important to remember that General Augusto Heleno, one of the masterminds of the coup plot, led the occupation of UN military troops in Haiti, responsible for a series of violations, and defended the 1964 military coup, whose Truth Commission took more than 40 years to be established without leading to justice and reparation for the crimes committed,” she noted.
She also stressed the importance of this moment for the global context of resurgent imperialism, fascism, wars, and genocides around the world, at the same time as electoral disputes unfold. “It is a milestone, especially on the eve of COP30 in the Amazon and in a pre-election year, when it is essential to strengthen democracy and internationalist solidarity against commercial and military attacks that threaten the sovereignty of peoples,” she added.
Those who lived the atrocities do not forget
Vera Paoloni, president of the Unified Workers’ Central in Pará (CUT/PA) and member of the Political Commission of the People’s Summit, stressed that the STF’s decision deeply resonates among social movements and working women, groups heavily attacked by Bolsonaro’s hate campaign and the dismantling of social policies, whether through the scrapping of institutions or the shutdown of programs.
“For us in the resistance movements, it is a tremendous joy to see the firmness of the Supreme majority in convicting Bolsonaro and the coup plotters who attacked democracy and the life of the country. Bolsonaro always treated women as inferior, mocked rights, cruelly attacked workers and social movements, and did not even act to secure vaccines during the terrible period of COVID-19,” she said.
According to Vera, “all this is in the memory and skin of every working woman and every fighter in Brazil. That is why it is fundamental that he has been convicted – and even more symbolic that the third vote, which sent him to prison, was cast by a woman, Justice Cármen Lúcia. He leaves too late.”
“Now we can breathe a little easier and continue the struggle for social rights, for social justice, and for climate justice, knowing that democracy has been safeguarded by this firm stance of the Supreme Court. It is a beautiful day for us, women, for social movements, and for everyone who fights daily for a better Brazil, a better Pará, and the good living of the peoples,” she stated.
“He implemented a progressive and systematic plan to attack democratic institutions”
Bolsonaro was convicted in a trial by the STF’s First Panel with favorable votes from Justices Alexandre de Moraes, Flávio Dino, Cármen Lúcia, and Cristiano Zanin. Only Justice Luiz Fux voted against conviction. In the vote that sealed the sentence, Justice Cármen Lúcia was emphatic in defending Bolsonaro’s conviction for organizing the crime against national sovereignty.
“The prosecution presented conclusive evidence that the group led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro, composed of key figures from the government, the Armed Forces, and intelligence agencies, developed and implemented a progressive and systematic plan to attack democratic institutions with the purpose of undermining the legitimate alternation of power in the 2022 elections and weakening the exercise of the other constituted powers, especially the Judiciary,” she highlighted.
She also emphasized the unprecedented nature and representativeness of the trial. “What is unprecedented in this criminal case is that within it beats the Brazil that pains me. This criminal action is almost an encounter between Brazil and its past, its present, and its future in the realm of state institutions and public policies,” she stated.
Justice Cármen Lúcia’s stance was widely praised by society. In addition to occupying a space where men are the majority, she is a woman, a group harshly attacked by Bolsonaro in his misogynistic and gender-violent campaigns. These campaigns were replicated by the far-right network that spread across various spheres, both public and private, led by the ex-president.
The justices also convicted former Chief of Staff and Defense Minister Braga Neto (26 years in prison), former Institutional Security Cabinet Minister Augusto Heleno (21), former Justice Minister Anderson Torres (24), former Navy Commander Almir Garnier (24), former Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira (19), Lt. Col. and former aide-de-camp Mauro Cid (2 years, under a plea deal), and former Brazilian Intelligence Agency (Abin) director Alexandre Ramagem (16 years, one month, and fifteen days). In Ramagem’s case, the Supreme Court also ruled on the loss of his seat as a federal deputy.
To convict and remember so as not to forget
Organizations that make up the People’s Summit followed the trial with the expectation that the conviction would be more than just a legal verdict. It symbolizes the importance of democratic institutions resisting attacks and reaffirming commitments to human rights, social participation, and territorial sovereignty—central elements of the struggles defended by the People’s Summit.
There are high expectations that public policies will now be supported by precedents reinforcing the accountability of those who attempt to subvert electoral processes and violate collective rights.
Popular movements, Indigenous communities, quilombola communities, and workers’ networks see the trial not only as a legal response but also as a political opportunity to strengthen the legitimacy of historically marginalized voices. The conviction reinforces that initiatives from the territories—still under attack by Bolsonaro’s political group—must be recognized and incorporated into public policies.
Moreover, for the People’s Summit, this moment reaffirms that democracy is sustained not only by formal rules but also by the practice of broad social participation, the use of scientific knowledge, and respect for diverse forms of knowledge. These are central banners of the Summit, which has been working to ensure that climate, environmental, and social policies respect territorial rights, promote gender justice, protect traditional peoples, and build a just, popular, and inclusive transition.
The conviction of Bolsonaro by the STF also signals that democracy is not guaranteed solely by the Constitution, but depends on social and collective commitment to resist coup attempts, disinformation, and institutional attacks. It becomes evident that this precedent must translate into concrete measures of reparation, transparency, and participation in decision-making processes, especially in climate, environmental, and public policy arenas.
The People’s Summit will remain mobilized to ensure that justice is complete, that accountability reaches all levels, and that no democratic setback is normalized.
