Brazilian lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, has been hit with coercion charges by the country’s prosecutor general, in what supporters of the former president argue is yet another politically motivated move against the Bolsonaro family.
The prosecutor general’s office claimed Monday that Eduardo had “repeatedly sought to subordinate the interests of Brazil and the entire society to his own personal and family agenda.” The charge follows Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction earlier this month for allegedly plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a ruling that sentenced the former president to 27 years in prison.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been living in the United States, has sought support from President Donald Trump and other allies. He has also claimed credit for helping push the White House to announce 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports.
The lawmaker dismissed the latest accusation as baseless, calling it a “bogus accusation” and noting he first heard about it through the press. He accused prosecutors of working as “Moraes’s lackeys,” referring to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over his father’s trial. Eduardo said he would wait for official notification before making a detailed legal defense.
The charges were announced as massive crowds took to the streets across Brazil and in foreign capitals. Tens of thousands gathered Sunday in cities including Brasília, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro to demand that no amnesty be granted to Jair Bolsonaro. Demonstrators filled the capital near congress and the Supreme Court — the same area ransacked by Bolsonaro supporters on January 8, 2023. Overseas, rallies were held in Berlin, Lisbon, and London with protesters demanding Bolsonaro remain behind bars.
According to prosecutors, the elder Bolsonaro’s alleged plan to stay in power even included discussions of targeting Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and a Supreme Court justice. Bolsonaro’s supporters argue the charges and sentence reflect an increasingly politicized judiciary determined to silence the right.
Eduardo Bolsonaro tied his own case to recent US sanctions on the wife of Justice de Moraes.
The prosecutor general’s office claimed Monday that Eduardo had “repeatedly sought to subordinate the interests of Brazil and the entire society to his own personal and family agenda.” The charge follows Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction earlier this month for allegedly plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a ruling that sentenced the former president to 27 years in prison.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, who has been living in the United States, has sought support from President Donald Trump and other allies. He has also claimed credit for helping push the White House to announce 50 percent tariffs on Brazilian imports.
The lawmaker dismissed the latest accusation as baseless, calling it a “bogus accusation” and noting he first heard about it through the press. He accused prosecutors of working as “Moraes’s lackeys,” referring to Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over his father’s trial. Eduardo said he would wait for official notification before making a detailed legal defense.
The charges were announced as massive crowds took to the streets across Brazil and in foreign capitals. Tens of thousands gathered Sunday in cities including Brasília, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro to demand that no amnesty be granted to Jair Bolsonaro. Demonstrators filled the capital near congress and the Supreme Court — the same area ransacked by Bolsonaro supporters on January 8, 2023. Overseas, rallies were held in Berlin, Lisbon, and London with protesters demanding Bolsonaro remain behind bars.
According to prosecutors, the elder Bolsonaro’s alleged plan to stay in power even included discussions of targeting Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and a Supreme Court justice. Bolsonaro’s supporters argue the charges and sentence reflect an increasingly politicized judiciary determined to silence the right.
Eduardo Bolsonaro tied his own case to recent US sanctions on the wife of Justice de Moraes.
