On Monday, September 22, 2025, the political landscape in Brazil was shaken once again as Eduardo Bolsonaro, federal lawmaker and son of former President Jair Bolsonaro, was formally charged with coercion by the country’s Prosecutor General. The charge, as reported by BBC and several Brazilian news outlets, is tied directly to the high-profile case that saw Jair Bolsonaro convicted and sentenced to 27 years in prison earlier this month for plotting a coup against the government.
The Prosecutor General’s office did not mince words in its official statement, asserting that Eduardo Bolsonaro had "repeatedly attempted to subordinate Brazil’s national interests to his personal and family agenda." The accusation is particularly weighty in a country still reeling from the fallout of its recent political turmoil, and it underscores the deepening rift between Brazil’s institutions and the Bolsonaro family’s political ambitions.
According to the BBC, the attorney general’s office further alleged that Eduardo Bolsonaro’s actions had subjected Brazil to "threats of sanctions from foreign governments." This charge comes at a time when international scrutiny of Brazil’s internal affairs is at a fever pitch. Notably, the United States recently imposed sanctions on the wife of Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over Jair Bolsonaro’s trial. Eduardo Bolsonaro himself drew a direct line between his prosecution and these U.S. sanctions, suggesting a politically motivated campaign against his family and supporters.
Eduardo Bolsonaro, who now resides in the United States, responded defiantly to the charges. In a post on social media platform X, he called the charges "bogus" and "absurd," stating pointedly that it was "absurd" to accuse him of obstruction of justice. He further accused the Prosecutor General’s office of acting as "Moraes’s lackeys," a reference to the Supreme Court justice whose role in his father’s conviction has made him a lightning rod for criticism from Bolsonaro loyalists.
"I received news of the charges through the press," Eduardo Bolsonaro told the BBC, asserting that the timing of the announcement was yet another sign of his "ongoing political persecution." Indeed, Eduardo’s relocation to the United States earlier this year was, by his own account, motivated by a fear of arrest if he returned to Brazil. He described his situation as living in "exile," a word that has become a rallying cry for his supporters both at home and abroad.
The legal action against Eduardo Bolsonaro is not limited to him alone. Businessman Paulo Figueiredo, grandson of former Brazilian dictator João Batista Figueiredo, has also been named in the charges. The Prosecutor General’s office has indicated that, in addition to seeking a conviction, it will pursue "compensation for damages resulting from the criminal actions." This signals a broader effort to hold not just the former president and his immediate family, but also their close allies, accountable for their roles in the alleged attempt to undermine Brazil’s democracy.
The international dimension of this saga cannot be overstated. Eduardo Bolsonaro has been a vocal advocate for his father in the United States, lobbying for support from the Trump administration. The relationship between Jair Bolsonaro and former U.S. President Donald Trump has long been a matter of public record, with Trump recently likening the case against Bolsonaro to a "witch hunt." In July, the Trump administration imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods—a move that Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva called "not only misguided but illogical." These developments have only added fuel to the fire of political controversy raging in both countries.
Further complicating matters, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced additional sanctions on the wife of Justice Alexandre de Moraes on the same day Eduardo Bolsonaro was charged. Justice de Moraes himself described the sanctions as "illegal and regrettable," highlighting the fraught intersection of international diplomacy and domestic legal proceedings. For many observers, these moves by the U.S. government represent an unprecedented level of foreign involvement in Brazil’s judicial affairs, raising questions about sovereignty and the proper boundaries of international influence.
Meanwhile, the repercussions of Jair Bolsonaro’s conviction continue to reverberate throughout Brazil. On Sunday, September 21, tens of thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in cities across the country to protest against a controversial bill that could grant amnesty to the former president. The bill, which would require approval from members of Congress by secret ballot before a lawmaker could be charged or arrested, has been derisively dubbed the "Banditry Bill" by its critics. Supporters of the bill argue that it is necessary to protect legislators from what they see as "judicial overreach," while opponents fear it would open the door to widespread impunity for political crimes.
President Lula, who has positioned himself as a defender of democratic norms, weighed in forcefully on social media. "I stand with the Brazilian people. Today’s demonstrations show that the population does not want impunity or amnesty," he wrote on X. Lula has also vowed to veto the amnesty bill if it is passed by the Senate, framing the debate as a test of Brazil’s commitment to accountability and the rule of law.
The stakes in this unfolding drama are enormous, not only for the Bolsonaro family but for the future of Brazilian democracy itself. The charges against Eduardo Bolsonaro represent the latest chapter in a saga that has pitted powerful political families, judicial authorities, and foreign governments against each other in a high-stakes contest for the nation’s future. As the legal proceedings move forward, the eyes of the world will remain fixed on Brazil, watching to see whether its institutions can withstand the pressures of partisanship, populism, and international intrigue.
For now, one thing is clear: the story of the Bolsonaro family—and the fate of Brazil’s fragile democracy—is far from over.