Former President Jair Bolsonaro of Brazil began serving his 27-year prison sentence yesterday, after his appeal was rejected and authorities confirmed his detention following an alleged attempt to remove his electronic ankle monitor.

The decision followed his conviction for planning a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

President Lula addressed the nation, saying Brazil had “given the world a lesson in democracy”.

He noted that never before in the country's history had a former president been sent to prison for plotting an armed coup.
The verdict marks a watershed moment — a formal assertion that democratic institutions take primacy over personal ambitions.

Bolsonaro, seventy years old, had been under house arrest since August.

On Saturday, authorities arrested him after he attempted to tamper with the ankle monitor — reportedly using a soldering iron.

He later told a judge the act resulted from a “psychotic episode,” induced by medication, claiming he believed the ankle tag was bugged.

A four-judge panel of the top court unanimously voted to keep him in custody, citing a clear risk of flight.

The original sentence, handed down in September, found Bolsonaro guilty on multiple counts including leading an armed criminal organisation, violent efforts to dismantle the democratic rule of law and a broader plot that included plans to eliminate top officials.

It was the first time in Brazil’s modern history that a former president received such a sentence on coup-related charges.

Supporters of Bolsonaro gathered outside the headquarters of the Federal Police in Brasília chanting for clemency, while others poured champagne and celebrated what they called “justice served”.

Some urged Congress to pass a pardon law; others insulted presiding Judge Alexandre de Moraes.

In preparing for prison, officials say Bolsonaro will be held in a private cell of roughly twelve square meters, with access to a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, television and a writing desk.

He will have access to his doctors and lawyers, though any visit from outsiders will require special court approval.

His legal team has already announced plans to appeal again, arguing his fragile health — including ongoing effects from a 2018 stabbing and subsequent surgeries — merits house arrest rather than incarceration.

As of now, however, the Supreme Court appears resolute: the rule of law must prevail.

This moment underscores a deeper truth: in a world where public power and political myths too often eclipse institutions, Brazil has, for now, reaffirmed that no leader lies above the law.

Democracy, it seems, can still assert its authority — even at the highest level of governance.