EV_001neutral
A panel of five Supreme Court judges reached a verdict on the Bolsonaro coup trial, with each judge casting votes one by one and a majority of three out of five votes needed to find a defendant guilty.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_002neutral
The trial procedures for Bolsonaro's electoral disqualification case ran very fast because there was no need to hear testimonials or expert evidence, as it was uncontroversial that Bolsonaro met with ambassadors and there was no disagreement about the content of the speech.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_003neutral
The exercise of carrying out the coup trial has been marred by controversies over procedural issues like pretrial arrests, the defense's access to the vast evidence files, and the speed at which the trial has taken place.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_004neutral
Justice Luiz Fux voted against convicting Bolsonaro and five co-defendants of an attempted coup d'état, arguing the Supreme Court did not have jurisdiction to try the case, stating 'It is not the Supreme Court's role to hold a political trial on what is good or bad, convenient or inconvenient, appropriate or inappropriate.'
probative: high
CB_01
EV_005neutral
Justice Moraes, as lead judge on Bolsonaro-related cases, opened investigations, ordered arrests and the shuttering of social media accounts, and issued many decisions alone, which experts say should be exceptional and that the court overuses this practice.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_006neutral
A law professor at Insper business school stated that 'A series of wrong decisions can be bad for the Supreme Court's legitimacy, even if the final judgment is right,' and expressed concern that unilateral procedural decisions risk weakening due process.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_007neutral
According to a poll released during the trial, 50% of Brazilians say they trust the Supreme Court and 47% do not, with the split falling largely along political lines—73% of Lula voters trust the court compared to 22% of Bolsonaro voters.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_008neutral
Brazil's powerful judiciary has faced criticism for being too politically active in the past, and in the deeply divided country some are concerned that the momentous trial could risk undermining confidence in the courts.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_009neutral
The Electoral Superior Court's ruling against Bolsonaro was based solely on electoral rules against the usage of public resources and the structure of the presidency to abuse political power, without discussing abstract principles about freedom of speech or special obligations of political authorities.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_010neutral
The Electoral Superior Court admitted evidence of a draft coup plot found by Federal Police in the house of one of Bolsonaro's former ministers to demonstrate that the case was not an isolated incident but part of a larger set of actions aimed at attacking the electoral process.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_011neutral
The Electoral Superior Court's ruling against Bolsonaro was not a legal innovation but the mere application of existing laws under the 1988 Constitution and electoral law acts.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_012neutral
Bolsonaro and his co-defendants can appeal to the full Supreme Court if found guilty, providing an appellate review mechanism.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_013neutral
The remaining defendants' lawyers took their turns to speak on behalf of their respective clients during the final phase of the trial, with all defendants given the right to defense.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_014neutral
The Brazilian Electoral Superior Court's ruling against Bolsonaro was based on electoral rules against the usage of public resources and the structure of the presidency to abuse political power, which are part of Brazil's applicable electoral law framework.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_015neutral
The 1988 Brazilian Constitution, in provisions such as Article 14, § 9, provides the legal basis for the regulation of situations in which candidates are barred from running for political offices, including the prohibition of 'influence of economic power or abuse from holding an office, position or job in the direct or indirect Administration,' which was the legal provision under which Bolsonaro was held to violate electoral laws.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_016neutral
The Electoral Superior Court's ruling was not a legal innovation, but the mere application of existing laws, with the court finding that Bolsonaro breached electoral laws and abused his presidential powers.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_017neutral
The holding of the Electoral Superior Court was based solely on electoral rules against the usage of public resources and the structure of the presidency to abuse political power and benefit his campaign, rather than on abstract principles about freedom of speech or special obligations of political authorities.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_018neutral
The White House executive order characterizes the Brazilian government's treatment of Bolsonaro as 'political persecution, through drummed up prosecutions' and states that 'the Supreme Court of Brazil has misguidedly ruled that Bolsonaro must stand trial,' contradicting the claim that the judgment was based on applicable law.
probative: low
CB_01
EV_019neutral
Brazil's Supreme Court convicted Bolsonaro of attempting to use military force to overturn an election and plotting to assassinate current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with Justice Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha stating that 'a group led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro composed of key figures from the government, the armed forces and intelligence agencies developed and implemented a progressive and systematic plan to attack democratic institutions.'
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_020neutral
Justice Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court stated that a group led by Jair Bolsonaro developed and implemented a plan to attack democratic institutions with the aim of undermining the legitimate transfer of power in the 2022 elections, forming the basis of the guilty verdict.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_021neutral
Bolsonaro's critics called the conviction a victory for Brazil's rule of law and a reaffirmation of the 1980s Constitution created to end two decades of dictatorship, indicating the judgment was grounded in Brazil's constitutional framework.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_022neutral
The White House executive order characterizes the Brazilian government's prosecution of Bolsonaro as 'political persecution' and 'unjustly charged' with 'unjustified criminal charges,' contradicting the premise that the judgment was based on applicable law.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_023neutral
The Federal Register publication of Executive Order 14323 documents the U.S. government's official position that the Brazilian government's treatment of Bolsonaro 'contributes to the deliberate breakdown in the rule of law in Brazil' and represents 'political persecution.'
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_024neutral
Brazil's prosecutor-general charged Bolsonaro and 33 co-conspirators over a coup attempt following his 2022 election loss on February 18, and in March Brazil's top court decided that Bolsonaro would face a trial for these actions.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_025neutral
A survey of over 2,000 Brazilian citizens was conducted by political scientists from University of Texas-Austin, Tulane University, and Universidad Católica del Uruguay to assess public opinion on democracy and accountability measures, with the survey underway when Bolsonaro's indictment was announced on February 18, creating a natural experiment.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_026neutral
The U.S. State Department's 2023 Country Report on Human Rights Practices for Brazil documents serious government corruption and notes that the government did not always take credible steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_027neutral
The Forum for Justice study analyzed more than 4,500 police homicide cases from 2011 to 2021, finding that fewer than one-half of investigations resulted in indictment (39 percent resulted in indictments while the rest were archived due to self-defense claims or lack of evidence), with an average of four years for charges to be filed and eight years for cases to be closed.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_028neutral
Civil society organizations reported that impunity and a lack of accountability for security forces, particularly at the local level, was a problem in Brazil, with most examples of impunity involving the military police and civil police.
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_029neutral
Alexandre de Moraes, a Brazilian Supreme Federal Court justice, has been accused of authorizing arbitrary pre-trial detentions and suppressing freedom of expression, including against former President Jair Bolsonaro, through what the U.S. Treasury characterized as 'politicized prosecutions.'
probative: high
CB_01
EV_030neutral
De Moraes has repeatedly subjected victims to long preventive detentions without bringing charges, undermining Brazilians' and Americans' rights to freedom of expression through arbitrary detention practices.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_031neutral
The Brazilian legal system has documented serious human rights issues including arbitrary arrest or detention, serious restrictions on freedom of expression and media freedom, and serious government corruption, with the government not always taking credible steps to identify and punish officials who may have committed human rights abuses.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_032neutral
The Brazilian legal system demonstrates persistent patterns of impunity for police operations and delays in special military police courts that allow many cases to proceed without accountability, with an average of four years for charges to be filed and eight years for cases to be closed.
probative: high
CB_01
EV_1772396973290neutral
The Electoral Justice system in Brazil was created in the 1930s and strengthened under the 1988 Constitution and a wide range of electoral law acts, with tribunals given competencies to administrate, regulate, and rule upon cases that could threaten or endanger the free occurrence of elections.
other
probative: medium
CB_01
EV_1772397000183neutral
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw the case on Bolsonaro's attempt to keep the presidency after his defeat to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022, ordered the preemptive arrest after saying the far-right leader's ankle monitor was violated.
news_primary
probative: medium
CB_02
EV_1772397000185neutral
Moraes has faced criticism by major Brazilian newspapers and at least one international anti-corruption non-profit organization for his handling of the Bolsonaro case, which his critics argue has been contrary to the letter and spirit of the Brazilian Constitution.
other
probative: medium
CB_02
EV_1772397025985neutral
A 2023 high court decision in Brazil banned Bolsonaro from running for office until 2030, which preceded subsequent accountability proceedings.
news_primary
probative: medium
CB_02