BRASILIA, Brazil: Brazil's Supreme Court this week ordered former far-right President Jair Bolsonaro to start serving a 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup against his successor, marking a decisive moment after years of political turmoil and legal battles for many observers over his impact on Brazilian democracy.

The court finalized the case on November 25, making the conviction definitive, with a four-member panel expected to formally confirm the ruling later in the day. Justice Alexandre de Moraes directed Bolsonaro to begin his sentence at the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasilia, where he has been held since November 22 after tampering with his ankle monitor while under house arrest in a separate case.

The ruling is another blow to a leader who rose from the far-right fringe to the presidency in 2019, reshaping national politics with confrontational rhetoric, appeals to the military, and deep polarization. Since leaving office in 2022, Bolsonaro has been convicted, barred from seeking office, and distanced by former ally Donald Trump, who is now reversing tariffs imposed in protest of Bolsonaro's prosecution.

"Today is a memorable day for Brazilian democracy," Congressman Lindbergh Farias wrote on X, noting the unprecedented jailing of a former president and senior military officers for attempting a coup. Bolsonaro's lawyers argue the court moved too quickly and denied him adequate time to appeal, vowing to continue contesting the verdict. Bolsonaro was sentenced in September for trying to overturn his 2022 loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

His sons have sharply criticized the prosecution. Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro called the case "psychological torture" and a "rigged game," while his brother Carlos said the former president appeared "emotionally destroyed" during a visit. Despite the conviction, Bolsonaro insists he will run again, even as he and his family maneuver to shape Brazil's conservative leadership ahead of the 2026 election.

That strategy has frustrated allies eager to rally around a strong challenger to Lula, whose approval ratings have recently improved. Bolsonaro's claim that prescription drugs led him to believe his ankle monitor contained listening devices has added to doubts about his durability. Analysts say a politician who once projected strength now appears weakened.

In contrast to the crowds he inspired during the 2023 riots, only a handful of supporters gathered outside the Federal Police building this week. Trump, once vocal in urging courts to drop the case, responded mildly, calling the detention "too bad." Still, allies insist Bolsonaro remains influential, arguing his condition reflects health struggles, not political decline.