When a democratically elected president acts undemocratically, how do you hold him accountable? It isn’t easy. Most leaders — even those who attempt to hold power through coups — evade justice. But there are exceptions. Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was convicted last year of leading a coup plot after his failed reelection bid in 2022. He is now serving a 27-year prison sentence. Last week, former South Korean president Yoon Suk Yeol was sentenced to five years for charges relating to his imposition of martial law in late 2024.
In the new issue of the Journal of Democracy, Luciano Da Ros and Manoel Gehrke reveal what it takes to bring an authoritarian justice, focusing on the example of Bolsonaro. Also, check out our coverage of Yoon’s failed attempt to impose martial law and how South Korea got to such a dangerous moment.
How to Bring Authoritarians to Justice
Brazil did something that few democracies achieve: It convicted a former president of attempting a coup. How did the country’s courts hold would-be autocrat Jair Bolsonaro accountable when so many other coup plotters go unpunished?
Luciano Da Ros and Manoel GehrkePlus:
How Latin America’s Judges Are Defending Democracy
Can a strong, independent supreme court serve as a guarantor of democracy? In Brazil, Colombia, and Mexico, judges are showing a surprising resolve in fending off their countries’ antidemocratic forces.
Diego A. Zambrano, Ludmilla Martins da Silva, Rolando Garcia Miron, and Santiago P. RodriguezWhat Happened to South Korea’s Democracy?
The quick reversal of President Yoon’s martial-law order is being celebrated as a democratic victory. But the problems run deeper than one man. What comes next?
Gi-Wook ShinThe Perils of South Korean Democracy
When South Korea’s president declared martial law last December, he shocked the country and sparked a political crisis that laid bare deep-seated divisions. Can Korean democracy overcome the nationalist polarization that has always defined it?
Joan E. Cho and Aram HurSouth Korea’s Democratic Decay
Although South Korea is praised for its success at fighting covid-19, the triumph came at a cost to rights and privacy, and is drawing attention away from a larger drift toward illiberalism and bitterly factionalized politics.
Joan E. Cho and Aram HurSouth Korea After Impeachment
After a presidential corruption scandal sparked peaceful mass protests leading to the impeachment and removal of the incumbent, South Koreans went to the polls to choose her successor. Was this drama a window on the troubles of South Korean democracy, or a testament to its strength and resilience?
Gi-Wook Shin and Rennie J. Moon
Subscribe here to have curated collections like this one and other Journal of Democracy news delivered directly to your inbox.
Image credit: SERGIO LIMA/AFP via Getty Images