Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to begin his sentence on Tuesday, according to court documents.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the 70-year-old to begin a prison sentence of 27 years and three months at the headquarters of Brazil’s federal police in Brasília, where he has been detained since Saturday.
Bolsonaro was sentenced to prison in September for planning a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election to now-leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
What are the conditions for Bolsonaro in jail?
He will have no contact with some other prisoners at the police headquarters. According to police, his 12-square-metre room has one bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a television and a desk.
The Supreme Court rejected his appeal of his sentence earlier this month and ruled on Tuesday that the verdict is now final, and no further challenges are allowed.
Bolsonaro had been under house arrest since August and was taken to police headquarters on Saturday after an attempt was made to destroy his ankle monitor. Bolsonaro attributed the incident to “hallucinations”, a claim rejected by Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes in his anticipatory arrest order.
Bolsonaro’s defense lawyer responded
Later on Tuesday, defense lawyer Paulo Cunha Bueno said it was “surprising” that the court made Bolsonaro’s coup conviction final, “while a potentially admissible appeal has not yet been filed.”
“In any case, the defense shall submit any appeal it deems appropriate within the time limit established by the rules of the court,” he wrote on X.
Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez and Wesley Dockery