No mobile phone and under house arrest. This was the decision of the Judge of the Supreme Court of Brazil, Alexandre de Moraes, after verifying that Jair Messias Bolsonaro, 70 years old and former president of the country, would have breached precautionary measures imposed while judging for its involvement in a coup attempt.
The Brazilian prosecution argues that Bolsonaro, along with his ministers and senior military commanders, would have conspired to cancel the presidential elections of 2022 “That she lost to the current president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva-, as well as to attempt against the life of the then progressive candidate. The alleged plot converged in an attempt to Assault on the Headquarters of the Presidency, the Congress and the Supreme Courtpromoted by supporters of the ultra -rightist leader on January 8, 2023.
The protests in the government buildings of Brazil left scenes that They remembered the Capitol Assault in Washingtonjust two years before, sponsored on that occasion by Donald Trump’s followers – president of the United States and Bolsonaro’s ally – that prior to his re -election was accused in the same terms when trying to reverse electoral results and allegedly instigate the revolt. Episodes that fear that the prosecution or imprisonment of former heads of state has ceased to be something exceptional, With the American continent offering some of the most significant examples of this trend.
Lula da Silva spent more than 500 days in prison
Without abandoning the greatest economy in South America, it should be remembered that the own Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva spent more than 500 days in prison after being found guilty of corruption and money laundering within the framework of the ‘Lava Jato’ operation. The sentence le prevented presenting the 2018 electionswith which Jair Bolsonaro agreed to power for the first time.
Everything changed in 2021, when the Supreme Court annulled the convictions to understand that Judge Sergio Moro, in charge of the investigation against Da Silva and appointed in 2019 Minister of Justice for Bolsonaro, It would not have been impartial. Even so, many detractors of the current Brazilian president underline that, having canceled both processes for technical reasons, His innocence has not been fully demonstrated.
Also between 2021 and 2022, but crossing the border to Peru, Pedro Castillo He was in charge of the State Headquarters of the Andean country. However, his legislature had an abrupt end to be sent to preventive detention after trying to carry out a state self -golpe, which resulted in his dismissal, and that of some of his former prime ministers by Congress. At present, Castillo remains in the Barbadillo Penitentiary Center (Lima), While a trial is held in which the Prosecutor’s Office requests a sentence of 34 years in prison for rebellion. He has not been the only one to face Peruvian justice.
Fujimori, convicted of crimes against humanity
One of the most popular cases in the South American continent was starring Alberto FujimoriPresident of Peru from 1990 to 2000. Years after being forced to resign being in exile for corruption, he was extradited from Chile to Peru, where he faced several judgments, being one of the most media the celebrated the one held For the Matanzas de Barrios Altos (1991) and La Cantuta (1992)and the kidnapping of a journalist and an entrepreneur.
Finally, a 25 -year prison sentence for crimes was imposed for humanity and aggravated kidnapping, turning Fujimori into the First ex -president of Latin America to be sentenced in your country for crimes of this nature. Since 2009 he served the sentence in the Maximum Security prison in Barbadillo, however, after a legal battle he was pardoned for humanitarian reasons and was definitely released in 2023. He died a year later, at 86 years.
More recently, another former president of the region has re -captured headlines: The Colombian Álvaro Uribe. A few days ago he was sentenced by a court of Bogotá to 12 years in house prison for the crimes of procedural fraud and bribery in criminal action. Although the defense of Urib Have a firm criminal sentence in the history of the country.
From Argentina to Ecuador
2025 is emerging as an especially intense year in the judicial field. In addition to the processes against Bolsonaro and Uribe, in June the Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina confirmed the penalty of Six years in prison and life disqualification To exercise public positions imposed on Cristina Fernández de Kirchner, president of the country between 2007 and 2015. The ex -president was declared guilty of fraudulent administration to the detriment of the State during its two mandates, accusations that she has always rejected when considering them part of a political persecution.
In that line, he has compared his situation with that of the Brazilian Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and With that of Ecuadorian Rafael Correa -Condenado in 2020 to eight years in prison in the case ‘bribes 2012-2016’- who resides in Belgium and argues that the sentence responds to a “lawfare” destined for prevent your return to political life.
Judicial processes faced by various ex -presidents from Latin America could anticipate a change in the Relationship between political power and accountability. Cases such as Bolsonaro, Castillo, Fujimori, Uribe, Kirchner or Correa, although they are not the only ones, show that the presidential figure is no longer exempt from being investigated or judged once his mandate is finished. A phenomenon that crosses ideological countries and currents, and raises the challenge of guaranteeing impartial and transparent processes, capable of strengthening citizen confidence in institutions.