As his trial for orchestrating a conspiracy to stay in power draws to a close today, Jair Bolsonaro’s future rests in the balance. During the trial, the nation is anticipating unrest.
The panel of the Supreme Court, which will decide whether the populist former leader is guilty of attempting to overturn the 2022 presidential election result, which he lost to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has scheduled sessions from September 2 through September 12.
Bolsonaro, age 70, was accused of five counts of trying to orchestrate a coup d’etat. He repeatedly claims that his trial was motivated by political reasons, and he insists there is no wrongdoing and is currently under house arrest.
Donald Trump, the president of the United States, made a similar point by imposing a 50% tariff on Brazilian imports and citing Bolsonaro’s trial as a “witch hunt” against a political opponent.
What is anticipated for Tuesday?
The case involving Bolsonaro and seven of his allies is being heard by a Supreme Court five-justice panel.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who Bolsonaro and his supporters claim he orchestrated the trial against the former president, is scheduled to give a detailed summary of the case on Tuesday. Cristiano Zanin, a former attorney for President Lula, and Flavio Dino, the former justice minister of the leftist president, are also members of the judges’ panel. Two members of the panel were chosen by Bolsonaro as president.
The prosecutor general is expected to read out the charges against Bolsonaro after Moraes speaks. Following that, Bolsonaro’s and the other defendants’ attorneys are scheduled to make statements.
Bolsonaro could be found guilty on Tuesday if the justices decide to go directly to court after the closing arguments on Tuesday and a majority prevails.
Supreme Court trials are frequently delayed by suspended proceedings, sometimes for months, in practice, though. In order to “strengthen the case,” Bolsonaro’s attorneys are frequently expected to raise procedural questions, file motions, and highlight “new evidence”
What crimes is Bolsonaro accused of?
Bolsonaro is accused of five crimes, including attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, and two counts of destroying state property.
A coup plot conviction alone carries a maximum sentence of 12 years.
Seven other close ally of Bolsonaro, including his running mate and former defense minister Paulo Sergio Nogueira and his running mate Walter Braga Netto, are facing charges.
The prosecution has argued that Bolsonaro’s camp attempted to compel military action and remove the new president by staging a riot on January 8, 2023 when Bolsonaro supporters demolished top government buildings a week after Lula took office.
Bolsonaro’s supporters are also accused of planning to kill Lula before swearing-in by the prosecution. According to investigators, the evidence indicates that the former president endorsed the plan.
Bolsonaro has already been prohibited from running in elections in Brazil until 2030 because of allegations of abuse of power and concerns about Brazil’s electronic voting system.
Bolsonaro acknowledged at a deposition that he participated in meetings looking for ways to change the 2022 election results despite denouncing any attempt to overthrow Brazil’s democracy.
Bolsonaro has also indicated that he intends to run for president in 2026.
Bolsonaro will attend the trial, right?
Bolsonaro is house-assisted in a high-security neighborhood in Brasilia, the capital. The former president’s attorney said it was uncertain if he would attend the sessions this week.
After discovering a document suggesting he might have sought political asylum in Argentina, his lawyers allege that he is being watched closely and is being kept under full surveillance.
Bolsonaro has been prohibited from contacting foreign officials, using social media, or approaching national embassies since July.
What would transpire if Bolsonaro were found guilty?
Lawyers for Bolsonaro are predicting a shorter prison term because Brazil’s maximum prison sentence is 40 years, which is the maximum combined sentence for the crimes Bolsonaro is accused of committing.
What makes this trial significant?
Bolsonaro’s trial, according to some Brazilian commentators, is “historic,” claiming that this is the first time high-ranking officials accused of an attempted coup are facing criminal charges.
Up until 1985, armed forces supported by conservative elites overthrew Joao Goulart, the elected president, and a military dictatorship ruled for more than 20 years. Bolsonaro has rekindled his support for Brazil’s military rule in spite of human rights violations.
The Amnesty Law was passed by the government in 1979, and as a result, Brazil never prosecuted any of the military personnel responsible for the country’s widespread rights violations.
The charges against Bolsonaro and his supporters amount to political persecution, intended to thwart his political resumption in the upcoming presidential election.
Trump: Is he a trial participant?
President Trump slapped Brazil with a 50% US tariff on August 1, citing the allegations that Bolsonaro, who Trump had allyd with, had political backing.
Trump criticized Brazil’s handling of Bolsonaro in a letter from July to Brazil’s current president Lula.
He claimed that Brazil’s covert attacks on free elections and the country’s fundamental free speech rights were contributing factors to his justification for the sky-high tariff.
The US president urged Americans to “please understand that the 50% figure is much less than what is required to achieve the Level Playing Field we require with your Country.”
He continued, “The way Brazil treated former President Bolsonaro, a Highly Respected Leader throughout the World, including by the United States, is a world disgrace.”
While Trump’s global trade war primarily targeted nations with large surpluses with the US, Brazilian imports from the US far outweigh their exports, and Washington had a $ 28.6 billion trade surplus with Brazil in 2024.
Lula, Brazil’s president, has stated that his country won’t immediately impose tariffs on the US. He instead reiterated his request for Trump to discuss trade issues with him.
Trump was facing criminal charges related to his campaign to overturn the election, which he also falsely claimed he had defeated Joe Biden in the 2020 US presidential election.
Before Biden took office, his supporters also stormed the US Capitol in an effort to stop the election results from being certified. According to some experts, the US Capitol attack on January 6, 2021, was the inspiration for Bolsonaro’s riot in Brazil in 2023.
Source: Aljazeera
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