Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro convicted of plotting coup

"For the first time ever, a court has convicted a former president and high-ranking military officers for attempting a coup. Far-right politician Jair Messias Bolsonaro, a retired army captain, 70, was sentenced Wednesday in Brasilia for leading a conspiracy to prevent the transfer of power to his rival, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after losing the 2022 elections. On Thursday, the Supreme Court's first chamber reached the necessary majority three out of five votes to convict Bolsonaro of five crimes, including attempted coup,"

"The justice concluded that a group composed of key government figures and led by Jair Bolsonaro carried out a progressive plan to attack democratic institutions with the aim of undermining the peaceful transfer of power and weakening other branches, especially the judiciary. She noted that Brazil restored democracy 40 years ago and emphasized that the facts described have not, in essence, been denied by the defendants."

"Despite intense pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump, the trial proceeded, and the Brazilian court plans to determine the sentences this Friday. In what has been Brazil's most politically significant trial in recent years, Bolsonaro was also convicted of damage to public property and protected assets. Neither he nor the other seven defendants (three generals, an admiral, a lieutenant colonel, and two civilians) attended the session. The former president (20192022), under house arrest, followed the proceedings from home with his family in Brasilia."

Brazil's Supreme Court first chamber convicted former president Jair Messias Bolsonaro and several high-ranking military officers for orchestrating a conspiracy to block the 2022 transfer of power to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. The court found Bolsonaro guilty of five crimes, including attempted coup, attempted abolition of the democratic rule of law, membership in a criminal organization, and damage to public property and protected assets. Three generals, an admiral, a lieutenant colonel, and two civilians were also convicted. Bolsonaro observed the proceedings from house arrest at his Brasilia residence. The court plans to determine sentences on Friday after the decisive vote by Justice Carmen Lucia Antunes Rocha.

Read at english.elpais.com