On Monday, October 27, 2025, defenses of Jair Bolsonaro and other defendants convicted for the attempted coup d'état filed declaration embargoes with Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF). The appeals challenge omissions, contradictions, and penalty calculations from the First Panel's rulings. The moves aim to correct alleged errors and, in some instances, signal efforts to escalate the case to the full Court bench.
Defenses of key figures in the coup plot, including former President Jair Bolsonaro, appealed to Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) on Monday, October 27, 2025, against convictions handed down by the First Panel. Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison for crimes including coup d'état, armed criminal organization, and attempted abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law, filed 85-page declaration embargoes. The appeal highlights omissions in the trial, such as 70 terabytes of data provided without proper indexing, and challenges the credibility of Mauro Cid's plea deal, citing a VEJA report on the delator's social media access.
Bolsonaro's defense cites Minister Luiz Fux's dissenting vote six times to argue for penalty reduction and recognition of voluntary desistment. Fux stated: “If the defendant Jair Bolsonaro wished to proceed in the criminal path toward a self-coup, he would not need to convince the Armed Forces commanders to support him.” The vote was 4-1, with Fux alone, making infringement embargoes unlikely, as they require at least two dissents to reach the plenary.
Other defendants also appealed. General Walter Braga Netto, sentenced to 26 years, contested relator Alexandre de Moraes' impartiality and alleged coercion in Cid's statements. Anderson Torres, former Justice Minister with a 24-year sentence, compared his penalty to homicide cases like Elize Matsunaga's (16 years and three months) and Bruno Fernandes' (20 years and nine months), seeking acquittal for causing no physical harm. Alexandre Ramagem, convicted to 16 years and one month, challenged the loss of his Federal Police position, arguing the facts occurred as Abin director. Almir Garnier, former Navy commander with 24 years, pointed to flaws in penalty dosimetry.
These embargoes, with a five-day deadline, seek clarifications and may suspend timelines for broader appeals like infringements, but rarely change the merits. The case, ruled on September 11, 2025, marks the first conviction of a former Brazilian president for crimes against democracy.
