Jair Bolsonaro Arrested: The Rise and Fall of Brazil’s Controversial Leader

Jair Bolsonaro Behind Bars: The Fall of Brazil’s Polarising Ex-President.

Jair Bolsonaro, Brazil’s former president and longtime political firebrand, has begun serving a 27-year prison sentence for his role in a failed coup attempt to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office in 2023.

Once a self-styled defiant leader, Bolsonaro famously claimed in 2022, “By God who is in heaven, I will never be imprisoned.” That assertion crumbled as the 70-year-old ex-army captain faced conviction over a scheme that included plans to assassinate Lula — thwarted only by insufficient support from military leaders. Bolsonaro maintains his innocence, describing the trial as political persecution.

Life Under Arrest
Despite the sentence, Bolsonaro will not serve time in a traditional prison. Instead, he is confined to a specially equipped room at police headquarters, complete with a TV, mini-fridge, and air-conditioning. His family has raised concerns over his “extremely fragile” mental and physical health. Recently, he admitted to a medication-induced paranoia that led him to attempt cutting off his ankle monitoring bracelet while under house arrest — seen by the Supreme Court as an escape attempt.

Bolsonaro’s health challenges include lingering injuries from a 2018 campaign knife attack and chronic hiccups that leave him breathless, with lawyers warning incarceration could pose serious risks.

Rise to Power
Born in 1955 to a Catholic family with Italian roots, Bolsonaro served in the army before entering politics in the late 1980s as a Rio de Janeiro city councilor. Elected to Congress in 1991, he gained notoriety for incendiary statements supporting dictatorship, defending torture, and making derogatory remarks about women and LGBTQ+ individuals.

He surged to prominence by appealing to Brazil’s “Bibles, bullets and beef” electorate — evangelical Christians, security hardliners, and agribusiness interests — during the 2018 elections, capitalizing on public frustration with leftist corruption scandals. Bolsonaro’s style, often compared to Donald Trump’s, combined fiery rhetoric, populist promises, and hardline nationalism.

Controversies in Office
As president (2019–2022), Bolsonaro faced global criticism for policies and statements that fueled environmental destruction and public health crises. Under his administration:

Amazon deforestation and fires spiked as environmental agencies were weakened.

He downplayed Covid-19, calling it a “little flu,” promoted unproven treatments, and joked that vaccinated people might “turn into crocodiles.”

Bolsonaro survived a knife attack during the 2018 campaign that left lasting physical damage. He has also been embroiled in controversies surrounding his family — three of his sons are politicians, and he controversially reversed a vasectomy to father a child with his current wife Michelle, a fervent Evangelical 27 years his junior.

The Fall
Bolsonaro’s imprisonment marks a dramatic fall for a leader who once electrified Brazil with his defiance and populism. From a fringe firebrand to the nation’s highest office, and now behind bars, his story reflects both his extraordinary rise and the consequences of his polarising tenure.