Brazil: Ex-leader Bolsonaro appeals 27-year prison sentence

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers on Monday filed an appeal against his 27-year prison sentence for his role in a failed coup bid following his 2022 election defeat by current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

Supreme Court judges have no deadline to examine the appeal.

What was Bolsonaro sentenced for, and why didn't his plot work?

In September, four of the five judges of a Supreme Court panel voted to convict Bolsonaro of five crimes,. These included taking part in an armed criminal organization, attempting to violently abolish democracy and organizing a coup.

The plot envisaged the assassination of Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Alexandre de Moraes, one of the five Supreme Court judges who decided Bolsonaro's fate.

Prosecutors said the plan failed only due to a lack of support from the military.

Why is Bolsonaro under house arrest and not in prison?

The former president, who led Brazil from 2019 to 2023, has been under house arrest since August.

Under Brazilian law, he will not be sent to prison until all legal avenues have been pursued.