Bolsonaro and allies go on trial over alleged attempt to topple Brazilian democracy

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro and seven of his allies, including four senior members of the military, have gone on trial for allegedly attempting to stage a coup - the first time in history such powerful figures have faced justice for seeking to topple the country's democracy.

- Tom Phillips

Bolsonaro, a paratrooper turned far-right populist who governed from 2019 until 2023, stands accused of masterminding a failed power grab after losing the 2022 election to the leftist Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Bolsonaro and his alleged co-conspirators, including three army generals and the former head of the navy, face decades in jail if they are found guilty of being the driving force behind the plot.

Yesterday morning, the supreme court began what is expected to be a two-week judgment of the group. Over the course of eight televised hearings to be held until 12 September, five supreme court judges will decide their fate.

The judge presiding over the trial, Alexandre de Moraes, began the hearing describing how an anti-democratic plot to impose "a veritable dictatorship" had been foiled thanks to the strength of Brazilian society and institutions. A failure to punish that crime "would mean encouraging new attempted coups d'état", Moraes told the court, adding: "History teaches us that impunity, omission and cowardice do not lead to pacification."

The prosecutor general, Paulo Gonet, said it was essential that those behind the "frightening and shadowy" conspiracy be held to account.