JUANA SUMMERS, HOST:
Tomorrow, for the first time in the 40 years since Brazil emerged from dictatorship, a former president goes on trial, accused of attempting to overthrow the government. Jair Bolsonaro, the 70-year-old former far-right leader, faces multiple charges of trying to stay in power after he narrowly lost his 2022 reelection bid. He denies any wrongdoing. His supporters, including Donald Trump, say the proceedings are rigged. Others, however, hail it as a decisive moment for democracy. NPR's Carrie Kahn reports.
CARRIE KAHN, BYLINE: On January 8, 2023, exactly one week after Brazil's leftist president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva took the oath of office, thousands stormed the heart of the capital, Brasilia.
(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)
UNIDENTIFIED CROWD: (Non-English language spoken).
KAHN: With stones and sticks and many wrapped in the Brazilian flag, Bolsonaro supporters livestreamed their attack on the presidential offices, Congress and the Supreme Court. Prosecutors say they have reams of evidence, including this video, as well as emails, text messages and cell phone calls, proving Bolsonaro, together with his seven fellow defendants, led a criminal conspiracy to stay in power. The plans even included the assassination of President Lula and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. This case is unprecedented, says Oliver Stuenkel at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C.
OLIVER STUENKEL: Brazil has never been able to prosecute those seeking to overthrow Brazil's democratic order in such a way.
KAHN: And there have been many coup attempts in its modern history, making this case a great deterrent if Bolsonaro is convicted, says Stuenkel. What is also unique is the role of the U.S. and President Trump in the case. He's demanded an end to the trial and slapped 50% tariffs on Brazilian goods, calling the prosecution of Bolsonaro a, quote, "witch hunt." Stuenkel says the last time the U.S. acted like this in Brazil was 1964.
STUENKEL: We haven't seen this kind of intervention since the end of the Cold War, when the United States supported a military coup in Brazil, which succeeded and led to the rise of a military government.
KAHN: The dictatorship lasted well into the 1980s. Supporters of Bolsonaro, however, applaud Trump's intervention, especially his son Eduardo, a Brazilian congressman who moved to the U.S. to lobby administration officials on behalf of his father, who denies all charges.
EDUARDO BOLSONARO: Basically, Trump is restoring the democracy of Brazil.
KAHN: Speaking to NPR, Eduardo Bolsonaro says without Trump's support, the Supreme Court and especially Justice Alexandre de Moraes would continue to censor Brazil's opposition.
BOLSONARO: One judge is holding the entire country as hostage. The problem is that he's not only persecuting my father, persecuting me. He's persecuting everybody he wants.
KAHN: The U.S. has sanctioned Justice Moraes under a law typically used to punish grave human rights violators and has revoked his U.S. visa. Even Bolsonaro's staunchest critics say the case highlights imperfections in Brazil's nascent democracy that must be addressed, especially the power given to individual justices on the high court. But despite the flaws, the trial is vital, says Guilherme Casaroes, a Brazilian professor at Florida International University.
GUILHERME CASAROES: The Supreme Court and the judiciary branch in Brazil actively trying to defend democracy and putting justice first.
KAHN: The trial is expected to run at least through next week. If convicted, former President Bolsonaro could be sentenced to more than 40 years in prison.
Carrie Kahn, NPR News, Rio de Janeiro.
(SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright NPR.
NPR transcripts are created on a rush deadline by an NPR contractor. This text may not be in its final form and may be updated or revised in the future. Accuracy and availability may vary. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record.
