2022–2023 Brazilian coup plot

During and after the 2022 Brazilian general election, a network of members of former president Jair Bolsonaro's government and of the Brazilian Armed Forces planned to subvert the transition of power to newly elected president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, arrest Supreme Federal Court (STF) justice Alexandre de Moraes and Rodrigo Pacheco (the president of the Federal Senate), and shut down several government institutions, such as the National Congress, the Superior Electoral Court and the STF, in an attempt to keep Bolsonaro in power and consolidate his control over the federal government. The plans, evidence, and individuals involved in planning a coup d'état were gradually revealed in investigations conducted by public agencies and the press in 2023 and 2024. After the 8 January Brasília attacks, more than 1,400 people were charged for their alleged role in the riots. Valdemar Costa Neto, head of the Liberal Party, and three aides to Bolsonaro were arrested on 8 February 2024. On 21 November 2024, the Federal Police formally accused Bolsonaro and 36 people of an attempt to overthrow Brazil's democratic institutions, including a plot to assassinate Lula, Vice President-elect Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court Justice Moraes. On 14 December 2024, Bolsonaro's 2022 running mate and former Chief of Staff, General Walter Braga Netto, was arrested. On 18 February 2025, Prosecutor General Paulo Gonet formally indicted Bolsonaro and 34 others for an attempted coup d'état. On 26 March, the Supreme Court accepted the Prosecutor General's complaint and considered Bolsonaro and seven other allies as defendants in the case. The trial of the leadership group took place between 2 and 11 September 2025 before the First Panel of the Supreme Federal Court and resulted in the conviction of all the defendants, with Jair Bolsonaro being sentenced to 27 years and 3 months in prison. Overall, 31 of the 34 individuals indicted by the Prosecutor General became defendants and stood trial. Of these, 29 individuals were convicted. Beginning in July 2025, the Trump administration in the United States began openly clashing with Brazilian authorities, claiming Bolsonaro was the victim of a witch hunt without presenting solid grounds. As a result, the US imposed a 50% tariff on all Brazilian imports, revoked the visas of eight Brazilian Supreme Court justices, and applied the Magnitsky Act against Moraes. In response, Brazil's president Lula published an article in The New York Times saying that he wants to "establish an open and frank dialogue with the president of the United States", but stated that "Brazilian democracy and sovereignty are non-negotiable". Following subsequent diplomatic contacts between Lula and Trump, tensions gradually eased toward the end of 2025, with the Trump administration lifting the additional tariffs and revoking the sanctions against Moraes.