The far-right leader has posted a rebuttal on social media, accusing Brazil’s government of being an ‘authoritarian regime’.
Published On 19 Feb 2025
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has dismissed what he called “vague accusations” against him after he was indicted over an attempted coup to stay in office following his 2022 election defeat.
On Wednesday, in a lengthy post on the social media platform X, Bolsonaro said that the criminal charges against him and 33 other people were the result of an “authoritarian regime” that needs to “manufacture internal enemies”.
“The trick of accusing democratic opposition leaders of plotting coups is nothing new,” Bolsonaro wrote.
He compared his indictment to efforts in Venezuela, Cuba, Bolivia and Nicaragua, all countries led by leftist governments, where he said leaders have accused opposition members of being “coup plotters”.
“It’s like that all over the world,” Bolsonaro added. “The playbook is well-known: They fabricate vague accusations, claim to be concerned about democracy or sovereignty, and persecute opponents, silence dissenting voices and concentrate power.”
– O mundo está atento ao que se passa no Brasil. O truque de acusar líderes da oposição democrática de tramar golpes não é algo novo: todo regime autoritário, em sua ânsia pelo poder, precisa fabricar inimigos internos para justificar perseguições, censuras e prisões arbitrárias.… pic.twitter.com/VGM7hcAj2v
— Jair M. Bolsonaro (@jairbolsonaro) February 19, 2025
Bolsonaro’s comments come a day after Brazilian authorities charged the former president with devising a multipronged scheme to remain in power following his 2022 electoral loss to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Among other charges, prosecutors accused Bolsonaro and dozens of his supporters of plotting to poison Lula and shoot dead Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, a foe of the former president.
Other defendants in the indictment include former ministers and an ex-navy chief.
“The responsibility for acts harmful to the democratic order falls upon a criminal organisation led by Jair Messias Bolsonaro, based o