Lula says Brazil gave 'world a lesson in democracy' by jailing Bolsonaro

President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has said that Brazil had given the world a lesson in democracy after his predecessor Jair Bolsonaro was jailed over a failed coup attempt.

"Yesterday, this country gave the world a lesson in democracy. Without any fanfare, the Brazilian justice system showed its strength, it was not intimidated by external threats," Lula said on Wednesday, referring to punitive actions taken by US President Donald Trump over the trial of his ally.

"For the first time in 500 years of this country's history, you have someone imprisoned for an attempted coup," in a country which has had several coup attempts and lived under a military dictatorship between 1964 and 1985, he said in a speech.

"You have a former president and you have four four-star generals imprisoned, proving that democracy applies to everyone."

On Tuesday, Brazil's Supreme Court ordered far-right Bolsonaro to begin serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a failed coup, after he exhausted all appeals.

The brash former army captain who fired up Brazil's right and reshaped the country's politics is ending a divisive career jailed in a small room at police headquarters equipped with a TV, mini-fridge, and air-conditioning.

Bolsonaro, 70, was convicted in September over a scheme to stop Lula da Silva from taking office as president after the 2022 elections that included a plot to kill the veteran leftist.

Prosecutors said the scheme failed only due to a lack of support from military top brass.

The Supreme Court rejected an appeal to his sentence earlier this month, and on Tuesday ruled the judgment was now final.

The court also ordered a military tribunal to decide whether Bolsonaro should be stripped of his captain's rank.

Bolsonaro had been under house arrest until Saturday, when he was detained at police headquarters in the capital Brasilia for tampering with his ankle monitor using a soldering iron.

Plans to flee?

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes said there were signs Bolsonaro was planning to flee during a planned vigil organised by his son outside his home.

The justice pointed to the location of the nearby US embassy, and Bolsonaro's close relationship with US President Donald Trump, suggesting he may have tried to escape to seek political asylum.

Bolsonaro said he had acted from "paranoia" induced by medications he was on and denied trying to escape.

The court ruled Bolsonaro will remain detained in the officers' room — a secure space for protected prisoners — where he is currently held in Brasilia.

Five of Bolsonaro's co-accused, including military generals and former ministers, also began serving sentences Tuesday of between 19 and 26 years.

His former intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem, who was sentenced to 16 years in prison, was declared a fugitive after recently fleeing to the United States.

Bolsonaro's defence lawyer Paulo Cunha Bueno said the closure of the case was "surprising" and that he would file an appeal anyway.

Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president's son, was also charged by a court Tuesday on suspicion of obstruction of justice after promoting measures by Trump that sought to interfere with his father's trial.