Brazil’s Bolsonaro begins 27-year prison sentence for coup attempt

Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro started on Tuesday to serve his 27-year prison sentence for leading a coup attempt designed to keep him in office after losing the 2022 presidential elections, a move that many in the South American nation doubted would ever take place.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has overseen the case, ruled Bolsonaro will remain at the same federal police headquarters where he has been since he was pre-emptively arrested on Saturday for being considered a flight risk.

Bolsonaro will not have any contact with the few other inmates at the federal police headquarters.

His 12-square-metre (130-square-foot) room has a bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a television set and a desk, according to federal police.

Brazil’s criminal law also could have allowed the 70-year-old to be transferred to a local penitentiary or to a prison room in a military facility in capital Brasilia.

The Supreme Court justice considered that Bolsonaro’s defence had exhausted all appeals of his conviction on Monday. His lawyers wanted him to be on house arrest due to his poor health.