The following article is a broad timeline covering events related to the 2022–2023 Brazilian coup plot. It covers both the chronology of the events themselves and that of the investigations, the trial, and post-trial developments.
Military leaders under Bolsonaro +Minister of DefenseCommander of the ArmyCommander of the NavyCommander of the Air Force rowspan="2" rowspan="2"
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Detentions and custodial status
2021
March 30 March: A military crisis was triggered when Brazil's highest military officials resigned over what has been described as President Jair Bolsonaro's attempts to politicize the armed forces.
August 4 August: Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered that President Jair Bolsonaro be investigated in the inquiry examining the dissemination of false information about electronic voting machines and the electoral system. Moraes cites 11 possible crimes that Bolsonaro may have committed, including criminal association and incitement to subvert the political or social order. 16 August: The Institutional Security Secretary, General Augusto Heleno, said in an interview that Article 142 of the Constitution “can be used” in exceptional situations, but stated that he saw no reason for a military intervention at that moment. Heleno said that “the article does not say when the military should intervene, but it says it is to maintain the country’s stability. And it can happen anywhere. There is no planning.” He also added that he considers it “important to create a point of balance and to be careful not to commit excesses — by any branch of government. Intervention could happen in a more serious moment.” 20 August: President Jair Bolsonaro submitted to the Federal Senate a request to impeach Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Shortly afterward, the Supreme Federal Court released a statement repudiating Bolsonaro’s action. Senate President Rodrigo Pacheco said he saw no technical, legal, or political grounds for the request to move forward.
September 7 September: At a demonstration on Paulista Avenue on Independence Day, Bolsonaro called Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes a scoundrel and said he would no longer abide by his decisions. He also said, "I will only leave [the presidency] in prison, dead, or victorious. And I want to tell those scoundrels that I will never be arrested" and that "either the head of this power [the Judiciary] frames his own, or this power will suffer what we do not want".
2022
July 5 July: Cabinet meeting where Bolsonaro discussed plans for a possible coup d'état and instructed ministers to raise doubts about the electoral process. At the meeting, the Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Bureau, General Augusto Heleno, said: 'If [we] have to turn the tables, it has to be before the elections." 18 July: Jair Bolsonaro spreads false information about electronic voting machines and attacks the Superior Electoral Court in a meeting with foreign ambassadors, which was broadcast on TV Brasil and on social media.
October 30 October: During the second round of the 2022 presidential election police operations were carried out by the Federal Police and the Federal Highway Police. They targeted public transportation vehicles, mainly in the country's Northeast Region, allegedly with the aim of ensuring transportation safety according to their supporters, or delaying the arrival of these vehicles at polling places according to critics. In the evening, Bolsonaro is defeated by Lula in the second round of the elections. Pro-coup demonstrations begin, with roadblocks and camps set up in front of Army barracks.
November 1 November: More than 44 hours after losing the elections, Jair Bolsonaro made a statement at Planalto Palace. He thanked the people who voted for him and said that "the current popular movements are the result of indignation and a sense of injustice over how the electoral process took place". He also said that he would "continue to abide by the Constitution". 9 November: According to the investigations, General Mario Fernandes drafted and printed inside the Planalto Palace the "Green and Yellow Dagger Plan", which foresaw the assassination of the elected president Lula, the elected vice president Alckmin, and Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Shortly after printing the document, Fernandes headed to the Alvorada Palace. 18 November: General Walter Braga Netto, Bolsonaro's running mate in the elections, addressed the president's supporters at the gates of the Alvorada Palace and said: "Do not lose faith. That is all I can say for now."
December 7 December: According to the investigations, President Jair Bolsonaro held a meeting at the Alvorada Palace with Minister of Defense Paulo Sérgio Nogueira and the commanders of the three Armed Forces, in which he presented a draft decree that provided for the declaration of a State of Defense and a State of Siege, as well as the creation of an "Electoral Regularity Commission". According to testimonies to the Federal Police, the Navy Commander, Admiral Almir Garnier, placed his forces at Bolsonaro's disposal. However, the Army Commander, General Freire Gomes, and the Air Force Commander, Lieutenant-Brigadier Batista Jr., opposed it. Freire Gomes allegedly threatened to arrest Bolsonaro if the plan went forward. Also present at the meeting were Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, Minister of Justice Anderson Torres, and presidential aide Felipe Martins. 9 December: Faced with the refusal of the Army and the Air Force, Bolsonaro met with General Estevam Theóphilo, who headed the Army's Land Operations Command. According to the Federal Police, the general agreed to carry out the Army's actions and lead the ground troops in the coup attempt, provided Bolsonaro signed the decree. Later in the day, Bolsonaro broke his post-defeat silence after losing to Lula and spoke to supporters in front of the Alvorada Palace. On that occasion, he encouraged the coup-driven demonstrations held after the election, made references to the military, and said: "Nothing is lost. The end, only with death. Who decides my future, where I go, is you. Who decides where the Armed Forces go is you." 12 December: The Superior Electoral Court officially certified Lula and Alckmin's victory in the elections. Later that night, radical Bolsonaro supporters launched a series of acts of vandalism in Brasília, set fire to cars and buses, and attempted to storm the Federal Police headquarters. 14 December: According to the investigations, in a meeting at the Ministry of Defense headquarters with the presence of the commanders of the three armed forces, Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira once again presented the text of the coup decree. 15 December: Audio recordings between Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid and Major Ailton Gomes discussing a coup d'état plan and the arrest of authorities. The two discussed trying to convince the Army commander, General Freire Gomes, to join the plan. 16 December: According to the investigations, General Mario Fernandes printed, from inside the Planalto Palace, a draft decree that would establish a Crisis Cabinet to be created following the eventual proclamation of the coup d'état. The Cabinet would be chaired by General Augusto Heleno, with General Braga Netto serving as coordinator. 24 December: Attempted bomb attack at Brasília International Airport by a group of members of the pro-coup demonstrations. A Bolsonaro supporter was caught in the act and arrested for terrorism and stated in testimony that the bomb was intended to “trigger chaos” that would lead to the declaration of a State of Siege. 30 December: One day before the end of his term, Bolsonaro left Brazil and traveled to the United States, where he remained for 90 days. According to subsequent Federal Police investigations, Bolsonaro traveled to the U.S. to avoid arrest and to wait for the outcome of what would become the 8 January attacks.
2023
January 8 January: Invasion and vandalism of the National Congress, the Planalto Palace (Executive Office) and the Supreme Federal Court by a mob of radical Bolsonaro supporters. Soon after, President Lula decreed a federal intervention in the Public Security of the Federal District, removing former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres from his position as the District's Secretary of Justice. 9 January: Justice Alexandre de Moraes removed the Governor of the Federal District Ibaneis Rocha from office for 90 days. Moraes ruled that the DF government had been complicit in the coup supporters' attack. Moraes also ordered that Bolsonaro supporters' camps in front of the Army barracks be dismantled within 24 hours. 12 January: The Federal Police find the draft of a decree that would establish a "state of defense" to intervene in the Superior Electoral Court and declare Bolsonaro as president-elect in the home of former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres. 14 January: Former Minister of Justice Anderson Torres is arrested by the Federal Police after disembarking at Brasília airport. 21 January: President Lula dismissed the Army Commander, General Júlio César de Arruda. The government said the decision was motivated by a loss of confidence in the way the issue of the camps in front of the Army headquarters was handled. In his place, General Tomás Miguel Ribeiro Paiva was appointed.
23 January: Anderson Torres's first testimony to the Federal Police.
February 2 February: Anderson Torres's second testimony to the Federal Police.
April 19 April: The Chief Minister of the Institutional Security Bureau, General Gonçalves Dias, resigned after the press released footage showing him inside the Planalto Palace at the time of the 8 January attack. 26 April: Beginning of the Parliamentary Inquiry Committee to investigate the 8 January attacks.
May 11 May: Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the release of former minister Anderson Torres from prison. However, Torres will have to comply with precautionary measures and wear an electronic ankle monitor.
June 30 June: By a vote of 5 to 2, the Superior Electoral Court declared former President Jair Bolsonaro ineligible for eight years. The practice of abuse of political power and improper use of the media was recognized during a meeting held at the Palácio da Alvorada with foreign ambassadors on 18 July 2022.
August 9 August: Silvinei Vasques, former director of the Federal Highway Police, was arrested by the Federal Police.
September 7 September: Jair Bolsonaro's former aide-de-camp, Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, enters into a plea bargain agreement.
October 18 October: Conclusion of the 8 January Parliamentary Inquiry Committee. Senator Eliziane Gama’s report was approved by 20 votes to 11 and formally charged 61 individuals, including former president Jair Bolsonaro.
2024
February 8 February: Operation Tempus Veritatis begins. Bolsonaro had his passport seized by the Federal Police. 9 February: Video is released from the ministries meeting where the coup plan was discussed.
March 15 March: Former Army commander General Freire Gomes tells the Federal Police that Bolsonaro presented the draft of the intervention decree in the Superior Electoral Court to the commanders of the Armed Forces in late 2022. 25 March: The New York Times published an investigation, including a video, showing that former president Jair Bolsonaro spent two nights at the Hungarian Embassy in Brasília between 12–14 February, shortly after having his passport seized. The newspaper suggests that Bolsonaro attempted to evade justice.
August 8 August: Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered the release of Silvinei Vasques, former director of the Federal Highway Police. Silvinei will be required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and comply with other restrictive measures.