Eduardo Bolsonaro convicted; US calls ruling political persecution

Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former president Jair Bolsonaro, was convicted by the Supreme Federal Court of coercion for attempting to influence the court by mobilising United States officials. The court sentenced him to four years and two months in prison, imposed a fine and barred him from holding public office for eight years.

The U.S. State Department described the conviction as a case of persecution and legal manipulation against Brazil’s opposition, urging that political disputes be settled through elections rather than judicial rulings. The United States had earlier imposed tariffs and sanctions linked to the Bolsonaro family’s activities; some measures were later lifted after diplomatic talks between former President Donald Trump and Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.