By Brasil de Fato on September 12, 2025 from São Paulo
Jair Bolsonaro, foto: Sérgio Lima/AFP
The decision by the Federal Supreme Court (STF) to convict former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL) and Armed Forces officers for attempted coup d’état was considered a historic day and a milestone in the defense of Brazilian democracy by experts interviewed by Brasil de Fato. Of those convicted, Walter Braga Netto, Mauro Cid, Augusto Heleno, and Paulo Sérgio Nogueira became the first military personnel convicted of attempting a coup d’état in the country.
The former president has a sentence of 27 years and 3 months in prison, set on Thursday night, in theory, Bolsonaro’s sentence will end when he is 97 years old.
Sociologist and political scientist Rudá Ricci, president of the Cultiva Institute, says that this is the first time in the country’s history that an attempted coup has been tried, not pardoned. “Of course, it is not a civil court that tries military personnel in Brazil. But this specific case, the disciplinary one, is already defined by law. All those who are tried and imprisoned for more than two years must lose all rights related to their position. So, that’s what’s worse. Because, for a military person, that’s a disgrace,” explains Ricci.
“When there was a military officer in the military regime who was linked to an attack on the dictatorship, he was publicly disgraced, appearing on television. The military officer was lined up in a barracks. It was all filmed, we saw it on television, and they tore the insignia from his shoulder and took off his clothes. It is a shame for a military officer to lose his rank,” he says.
Lawyer Marcelo Uchôa, a member of the Brazilian Association of Jurists for Democracy (ABJD) and the Prerrogativas Group, also highlights the unprecedented conviction of military personnel in an interview with Conexão BdF, on Rádio Brasil de Fato. “I think we are living in a historic period that we are not yet able to comprehend. This is the first time that four-star generals are being convicted in civil courts. It is the first time that Brazil is saying that a coup d’état will not be acceptable, under any circumstances, at least under the logic of the law,” he points out.
He highlights the weight of Justice Cármen Lúcia’s vote, which was decisive for the conviction. “It was a very beautiful vote because, despite her calm tone, she conveys a great sense of tranquility, the confidence of an exceptional jurist. It was a historic vote, cast by a woman, which sealed the conviction of a misogynist. I found this very significant because she, as a minister and a woman, had in some way already been offended by Bolsonaro,” he observes.
At Thursday’s (11) trial session, the minister formed a majority by joining rapporteur Alexandre de Moraes and Minister Flávio Dino in convicting Bolsonaro and the other defendants for coup d’état. Cristiano Zanin then confirmed the understanding. The score was 4 to 1, as Luiz Fux voted for acquittal.
For Uchôa, the decision is also a clear message against future coup attempts. “Even if it was late, we learned that guaranteeing impunity for coup plotters is just putting off a problem that will arise later, which is the attempt of a new coup,” he concludes.
Ricci agrees and states that the echoes of this historic trial cannot end with the sentencing and should serve as the basis for the “education of Brazilian citizens.” “We need to take the issue to schools, to churches, to say clearly that democracy in Brazil has limits. That people who go to the podium and preach against the Brazilian judiciary, cursing people, will go to prison. And they won’t go to prison for two years. They will go to prison for almost three decades, they will ruin their lives. This is a sign of civility,” he pointed out.
Result of catastrophic government
For political scientist and professor Paulo Niccoli Ramirez, , in an interview with Conexão BdF said, the trial represents a turning point. “It’s a great day for Brazilian democracy, representing the victory of institutions over personal adventures that could jeopardize various social activities, not only of progressive left-wing teachers, but also of free journalism. So it’s a day to be celebrated, when we will put people who tried to act with authoritarianism in prison.”
The professor sees the conviction as the result of the former president’s actions during his four years in office. “It is an imprisonment that results from a culminating point, from the entire catastrophe of the Bolsonaro government,” he says.
According to Niccoli, the conviction weakens Bolsonarism institutionally and marks the country’s political history. “It will go down in the history of this country, in all books, at all levels of education, elementary school, high school, that Bolsonaro was the first president convicted of attempting a coup d’état,” he predicts.
Mauro Cid’s low sentence is a message
The whistleblower of the coup plot, Mauro Cid, was sentenced to only two years of open prison. In the assessment of the ministers of the First Panel, the fact that he made a plea bargain agreement should be rewarded. For scientist Rudá Ricci, the decision of the STF ministers regarding the dosimetry of penalties has a political and social organization aspect that cannot be overlooked. “It was explicitly stated that ‘we have to value this institution of plea bargaining’. In fact, some said: ‘look, he committed very serious crimes, but we have to honor the agreement that was made’,” he said.
“So, in his case, specifically, it was a signal for plea bargaining in cases of crimes against the state,” he concludes.
Source: Brazil de Fato translation Resumen Latinoamericano – English