247 - The United States Embassy in Brazil publicly criticized, this Friday (12), the sentencing of Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to 27 years and 3 months in prison. Through a social media post, the US embassy classified the decision of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) as “another chapter of the persecution and censorship complex” and called Minister Alexandre de Moraes a “human rights violator”.

"Yesterday, four of the five justices of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to 27 years in prison. This decision is yet another chapter in the persecution and censorship complex of Minister Moraes, a sanctioned human rights violator, who targets Bolsonaro and his supporters. We take this grim development with the utmost seriousness," the post reads.

On Thursday, the U.S. Embassy in Brazil had already issued a statement republishing a statement by Secretary of State Marco Rubio. In the text, Rubio made new threats against Brazil over Bolsonaro's conviction."The political persecution by human rights violator Alexandre de Moraes continues, as he and other members of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court unjustly decided to imprison former President Jair Bolsonaro. The United States will respond appropriately to this witch hunt," he wrote.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded to the threats by stating that Brazilian democracy will not be intimidated by them."We will continue to defend the country's sovereignty from aggression and attempts at interference, wherever they may come from. Threats like the one made today by U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, in a statement that attacks Brazilian authorities and ignores the facts and compelling evidence in the case, will not intimidate our democracy," the statement reads.

Historic conviction by the Supreme Federal Court

On Thursday (11), four of the five ministers of the First Chamber of the STF voted to convict Bolsonaro and seven other defendants in the so-called “Coup Plot” case. It was the first time in Brazilian history that a former president was convicted of attempted coup d'état and attempted abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law.

In addition to the 27-year and 3-month prison sentence, the trial stipulates that Bolsonaro and the other convicted men must jointly pay R$30 million in compensation. Among the defendants, military personnel may lose their ranks, and police officers involved have already been removed from their posts.