Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro charged in connection with alleged coup plot

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged in connection with an attempted coup d’état, according to documents filed by prosecutors Tuesday evening.

Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro has been charged in connection with an alleged coup plot, according to documents filed by prosecutors Tuesday evening. Bolsonaro was among 34 people facing charges including those of armed criminal organization, attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup d’état, and damage qualified by violence. In November, Bolsonaro and 36 others were indicted as part of an investigation into an alleged coup plot after his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva defeated him in the 2022 presidential election. The charges, brought before the Supreme Court in Brasília, could set the stage for a high-profile trial. If the charges are formally accepted by the Supreme Court, those charged will formally become defendants. To prevent the case from influencing Brazil’s 2026 presidential elections, Supreme Court justices are pushing to conclude the trial before the end of 2025, but it is unlikely the court will announce its decision on whether to take on the case or schedule preliminary hearings before early March. In the 844-page November indictment, federal police accused Bolsonaro of having “full knowledge” of the alleged coup plan to prevent Lula from taking office, adding that the former president “planned, acted in, and led directly and effectively” the plan.