WORLD NEWS – Former Brazilian President Bolsonaro must stand trial for alleged coup attempt

Laila Kirkpatrick, Staff Writer

Five of Brazil’s Supreme Court Justices have ruled that former Brazilian President Jair Bolsosnaro must stand trial for allegedly attempting to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election. The panel of justices voted on the proceeding after two days of testimony against the far-right leader. They all agreed that the allegations against Bolsonaro were outlined in an 884-page report by federal investigative police that was made public last November. Prosecutors say Bolsonaro participated in and directed a plot to overturn his re-election loss and even planned to poison his successor and current president, Luiz Inácia Lula da Silva, and kill the vice president and a supreme court justice. 

Bolsonaroa has continued to deny any wrongdoing and has maintained that his prosecution is politically motivated. Posting on X Wednesday, he said that the justices are biased against him and rushed through the proceedings to prevent him from running for office in 2026. Bolsosnaro also gave a lengthy defense following the ruling, declaring his innocence.