Brazil Supreme Court don convict former President Jair Bolsonaro say im plan coup, wit 4-1 vote for di landmark case, and dem sentence am to 27 years for prison. Dis mata don vex US well well, as dem promise to respond to wetin dem call "dis witch hunt."
Justice Carmen Lucia vote on Thursday to convict Bolsonaro for all di five charges wey dem carry give am. She join hand wit justices Alexandre de Moraes and Flavio Dino. But Justice Luiz Fux na di only one wey no gree, as im vote to free di former president from di violence mata wey happen afta Bolsonaro lose di October 2022 election to di leftist Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
“Law suppose dey equal for everybody,” na wetin Lucia talk as she give her decision. She call di trial one big test for Brazil young democracy.
Justice Luiz Fux still stand gidigba say dem suppose free Bolsonaro, as im describe di trial as "political."
Bolsonaro dey house arrest for Brasilia since last month, and im no show face for di hearings wey don dey trend for TV and social media. Im dey claim say dem dey persecute am, while im padi, US President Donald Trump, don call di trial "witch hunt" and don retaliate wit 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods.
On Thursday, Trump talk say di conviction shock am. "I watch di trial. I sabi am well, as foreign leader. I think say im be good president for Brazil. E shock me say dis kind thing fit happen," Trump yarn reporters for di White House.
"Na di same thing dem try do me, but dem no fit succeed. But I fit talk say, as president of Brazil, I sabi am as good man," Trump add.
Di trial don divide Brazilian pipo. Some dey see am as di right step for accountability, while odas dey call am show trial. Bolsonaro supporters dey push make Congress pass amnesty law wey go protect am from prison.
Di case don also cause wahala for US-Brazil relationship. Apart from di tariffs, Washington don sanction Moraes and other justices, and critics dey talk say dis move dey spoil Brazil judiciary.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio talk say di United States go respond to wetin dem call "witch hunt."
"Di political persecution by sanctioned human rights abuser Alexandre de Moraes still dey go on, as he and di other justices for Brazil supreme court don unjustly rule make dem put former President Jair Bolsonaro for prison," Rubio write for X.
"Di United States go respond well to dis witch hunt," na wetin im talk.
