https://www.scmp.com/rss/522163/feed The latest news and top stories on Brazil’s Supreme Court. A prominent Brasília-based governmental body, Brazil’s Supreme Court, officially the Supremo Tribunal Federal (STF), is dedicated to safeguarding the Constitution and serving as the highest judicial authority in Brazil. Its main areas of focus include interpreting the Constitution, acting as the court of last resort for federal cases and exercising judicial review over laws. The institution is recognised for its crucial role in upholding... en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Brazilian Supreme Court justice on Tuesday granted a request by former president Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily serve his sentence under house arrest after his discharge from a hospital for treatment of bronchopneumonia. “I authorise temporary humanitarian house arrest … for an initial period of 90 days,” Justice Alexandre de Moraes said in a court document, adding that the period could be renewed in case of medical necessity. The 71-year-old former far-right president was sentenced to 27 years... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3347769/judge-allows-brazils-bolsonaro-serve-27-year-sentence-home-due-ill-health?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3347769/judge-allows-brazils-bolsonaro-serve-27-year-sentence-home-due-ill-health?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 24 Mar 2026 18:51:01 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Thousands of supporters of Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro demonstrated in cities across the South American nation on Sunday, as organisers hoped to build momentum for a right-wing victory in the coming presidential elections. Protesters draped in yellow and green – the colours of the national flag – took to the streets in Sao Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and the capital Brasilia to voice their opposition to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva who faces a tough re-election bid in... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3345058/supporters-ex-president-bolsonaro-rally-across-brazil-against-lula?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3345058/supporters-ex-president-bolsonaro-rally-across-brazil-against-lula?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Mar 2026 21:54:13 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro was on Thursday transferred to prison, where he will serve his sentence for orchestrating a failed coup in “more favourable” conditions, according to a court order. The 70-year-old former leader was sentenced to 27 years in prison last year for his attempts to cling to power following his narrow 2022 re-election loss to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro’s family has repeatedly complained on podcasts and social media about the conditions in which he was... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340077/brazil-judge-orders-immediate-transfer-bolsonaro-better-equipped-prison?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3340077/brazil-judge-orders-immediate-transfer-bolsonaro-better-equipped-prison?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 23:53:29 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s left-wing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday vetoed a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of former far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, convicted last year of coup plotting. Lula vetoed the law adopted by Congress late last year on the third anniversary of major riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital Brasilia over his defeat by Lula in the 2022 elections. In scenes reminiscent of the 2021 US Capitol riots, thousands of demonstrators ransacked government... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3339240/brazils-lula-vetoes-law-reducing-bolsonaros-27-year-jail-sentence-riot-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3339240/brazils-lula-vetoes-law-reducing-bolsonaros-27-year-jail-sentence-riot-anniversary?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 08 Jan 2026 16:03:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s Supreme Court has rejected former president Jair Bolsonaro’s request to convert his prison sentence for plotting a coup to house arrest, according to a ruling published on Thursday. Bolsonaro’s lawyers submitted the request on Wednesday, citing a “real risk of a sudden worsening” in health for the far-right ex-leader as the reason to serve his 27-year sentence at home. Bolsonaro, 70, has been hospitalised for more than a week after undergoing surgery for a groin hernia and then a... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338431/bolsonaro-denied-house-arrest-brazil-supreme-court-despite-health-plea?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3338431/bolsonaro-denied-house-arrest-brazil-supreme-court-despite-health-plea?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 01 Jan 2026 14:45:43 +0000 Agencies Agencies Brazil’s former president Jair ‌Bolsonaro underwent “a phrenic nerve block procedure” on Saturday ‍to treat his persistent hiccups, his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, said on social media. In a subsequent statement, the doctors treating Bolsonaro said they blocked ⁠the right phrenic nerve and scheduled a new procedure in 48 hours to block the left one. In medical literature, the phrenic nerve is described as a vital nerve originating ‍in the neck that controls the diaphragm, the primary muscle ‍for... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3337912/brazil-judge-puts-coup-plot-convicts-under-house-arrest-after-ex-police-commander-flees?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3337912/brazil-judge-puts-coup-plot-convicts-under-house-arrest-after-ex-police-commander-flees?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 27 Dec 2025 18:03:25 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Brazil’s President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said on Thursday that he would veto a bill that could significantly reduce the 27-year prison sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was arrested in November for attempting a coup. The Senate passed the bill late on Wednesday, following approval by the Chamber of Deputies. “With all due respect to the National Congress, when it reaches my desk, I will veto it,” Lula told journalists in Brasilia, noting that those who committed crimes against... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3336970/brazils-lula-vows-veto-bill-slashing-bolsonaros-27-year-prison-term?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3336970/brazils-lula-vows-veto-bill-slashing-bolsonaros-27-year-prison-term?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 18:09:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s Senate on Wednesday passed a bill to slash the prison term of far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted of plotting a coup after losing re-election to left-winger Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Passed by the lower chamber last week, the bill now heads to Lula, whose expected veto could eventually be overridden by Congress. Bolsonaro, 70, began a 27-year prison sentence in November, and under current rules was expected to serve at least eight years behind bars before... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3336844/brazils-congress-passes-bill-cut-bolsonaros-27-year-prison-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3336844/brazils-congress-passes-bill-cut-bolsonaros-27-year-prison-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Dec 2025 02:26:55 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazilian Senator Flavio Bolsonaro said on Sunday he could abandon his presidential aspirations for a “price”, and suggested amnesty be granted to his father, the imprisoned far-right former leader Jair Bolsonaro. The ex-president’s eldest son announced on Friday that his father, who is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup and is banned from public office, has chosen him to lead the country’s powerful conservative movement, shaking up the 2026 election race. But suddenly Flavio... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3335542/bolsonaros-son-says-he-could-drop-his-brazil-presidency-bid-price?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3335542/bolsonaros-son-says-he-could-drop-his-brazil-presidency-bid-price?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 22:34:23 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup, after he exhausted all appeals. The brash former army captain who fired up Brazil’s right and reshaped the country’s politics was ending a divisive career jailed in a small room at police headquarters equipped with a TV, mini-fridge, and air conditioning. Bolsonaro, 70, was convicted in September over a scheme to stop Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334148/brazils-bolsonaro-begins-27-year-prison-sentence-coup-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334148/brazils-bolsonaro-begins-27-year-prison-sentence-coup-attempt?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 25 Nov 2025 20:44:15 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s Supreme Court on Monday voted to uphold the imprisonment of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was detained over the weekend for tampering with his ankle monitor using a soldering iron. Bolsonaro was taken into custody on Saturday from his home, where he had been under house arrest after a judge declared him a flight risk as he appeals a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup. The far-right firebrand was convicted in September over a scheme to stop President Luiz Inacio Lula da... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334003/brazil-court-votes-uphold-bolsonaro-jailing-after-attempt-flee?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3334003/brazil-court-votes-uphold-bolsonaro-jailing-after-attempt-flee?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 24 Nov 2025 17:26:24 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press On his first full day in jail, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro told a judge on Sunday he had violated his ankle monitoring the day before at his house arrest because of a nervous breakdown and hallucinations caused by a change in his medication. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the 70-year-old leader’s pre-emptive jailing on Saturday for he is considered a flight risk. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September for attempting a coup to remain in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333835/brazils-bolsonaro-damages-ankle-monitor-soldering-iron-out-curiosity?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333835/brazils-bolsonaro-damages-ankle-monitor-soldering-iron-out-curiosity?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 23 Nov 2025 07:09:39 +0000 Associated Press Associated Press Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the pre-emptive arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro on Saturday, with a judge claiming he was intent on escaping just days before he was set to begin his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt. The 70-year-old politician was taken to the headquarters of the country’s federal police in the capital, Brasilia, from his house arrest. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case, said in his ruling that Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor,... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333797/ex-brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-arrested-27-year-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3333797/ex-brazil-president-jair-bolsonaro-arrested-27-year-sentence?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 22 Nov 2025 11:03:02 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro is running out of options to avoid prison, after judges on Friday rejected his appeal against a 27-year sentence for a botched coup bid. Bolsonaro lost the 2022 elections and was convicted in September for his efforts to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking power after the polls. Prosecutors said the scheme – which included plans to assassinate Lula and a top Supreme Court judge – failed only due to a lack of support from... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332918/brazils-bolsonaro-faces-imminent-arrest-judges-uphold-coup-plot-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3332918/brazils-bolsonaro-faces-imminent-arrest-judges-uphold-coup-plot-verdict?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 15 Nov 2025 07:41:50 +0000 Reuters Reuters Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced on Thursday to 27 years and three months in prison, hours after being convicted of plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election. The ruling dealt a powerful rebuke to one of the world’s most prominent far-right populist leaders. The conviction ruling by a panel of five justices on Brazil’s Supreme Court, who also agreed on the sentence, made the 70-year-old Bolsonaro the first former president in the country’s history... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3325257/brazils-bolsonaro-convicted-top-court-historic-coup-trial?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3325257/brazils-bolsonaro-convicted-top-court-historic-coup-trial?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 19:05:58 +0000 Reuters Reuters Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Luiz Fux voted on Wednesday to acquit former president Jair Bolsonaro of forming a criminal organisation and voted to annul his trial over jurisdiction, breaking with peers and raising the odds of an appeal after the final verdict this week. The high court still seems likely to convict Bolsonaro of plotting a coup to remain in power after he was voted out of office in 2022. Two judges on the five-judge panel have already voted to convict, and the remaining two... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3325105/brazil-judge-votes-acquit-bolsonaro-coup-case-breaking-peers?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3325105/brazil-judge-votes-acquit-bolsonaro-coup-case-breaking-peers?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 10 Sep 2025 21:53:33 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Brazil’s ex-president Jair Bolsonaro left his home where he is under house arrest to undergo medical exams on Saturday, weeks before the Supreme Court rules whether he is guilty of plotting a coup. The right-wing firebrand is accused of attempting to hold onto power despite his 2022 electoral defeat by current leftist leader, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro, 70, has been under house arrest since early August for violating a judicial ban on using social networks to plead his case to the... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3322110/brazils-bolsonaro-leaves-house-arrest-medical-exams?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3322110/brazils-bolsonaro-leaves-house-arrest-medical-exams?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 16 Aug 2025 21:55:04 +0000 Reuters Reuters Brazil’s Supreme Court issued search warrants and restraining orders against former president Jair Bolsonaro on Friday, banning him from contacting foreign officials for allegedly courting the interference of US President Donald Trump. Federal police raided Bolsonaro’s home and he was ordered to wear an ankle monitor, adding the legal pressure that Trump has tried to relieve with a steep tariff on Brazilian goods. The court’s crackdown on Bolsonaro added to signs that Trump’s tactics could... https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3318805/brazil-police-search-ex-president-bolsonaros-home-political-headquarters?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/world/americas/article/3318805/brazil-police-search-ex-president-bolsonaros-home-political-headquarters?utm_source=rss_feed Fri, 18 Jul 2025 12:37:54 +0000