Jail for Bolsonaro by no means signals the end of his political movement

"A majority of Brazil's supreme court judges found the 70-year-old guilty on Thursday of masterminding a failed military coup designed to stop the leftwing winner of the 2022 election, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, taking office. Nowhere in the world has complete immunity against the virus of authoritarianism that creeps in insidiously, distilling its poison to contaminate freedoms and human rights, Justice Carmen Lucia Antunes Rocha told a courtroom in the capital, Brasilia, as she cast the deciding vote. Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison."

"Seven co-conspirators were also convicted, including the former head of the navy, Adm Almir Garnier Santos, three four-star army generals, and the former head of Brazil's answer to MI6. The historic verdict the first time a former Brazilian president has been found guilty of trying to overthrow the country's democracy appears to have extinguished Bolsonaro's hopes of one day reclaiming the presidency of South America's largest democracy."

"Bolsonaro received more than 58m votes in the 2022 election and, despite his conviction, remains wildly popular with certain sectors of society, including the fast growing evangelical community, in Brazil's agricultural heartlands and among members of the security forces and well-educated middle-class conservatives who loathe the left."

Brazil's supreme court convicted Jair Bolsonaro of orchestrating a failed military coup to prevent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office and sentenced him to more than 27 years in prison. Seven co-conspirators were also convicted, including the former head of the navy, three four-star army generals, and the former chief of foreign intelligence. The verdict is the first time a former Brazilian president was found guilty of trying to overthrow democracy and appears to end Bolsonaro's hopes of regaining the presidency. Bolsonaro retains substantial support after winning over 58 million votes in 2022 and remains popular among evangelicals, agricultural regions, security forces, and conservative middle-class voters. Pro-Bolsonaro protests continue despite the convictions.

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