STF Authorizes Convicted Ex‑Defense Minister to Register for ENEM 2026

Overview

• On Tuesday, Supreme Court minister Alexandre de Moraes authorized Paulo Sérgio Nogueira to complete registration for the Exame Nacional do Ensino Médio (ENEM) 2026 at the request of his defense team.
• Nogueira is serving a 19‑year sentence after the STF convicted him of belonging to the 'núcleo crucial' of the post‑2022 coup plot and he remains detained at the Comando Militar do Planalto in Brasília.
• Moraes grounded the decision in the penal execution law that aims to stimulate prisoners to study and to provide conditions for social reintegration, citing legal provisions that allow sentence reduction for work or study.
• ENEM serves as Brazil’s main national exam for university access and high‑school certification; registration is open and reports say the window has been extended through June 12 with tests planned for November 8 and 15, 2026.
• The authorization could have political and legal ripple effects by testing how education rules apply to high‑profile prisoners, prompting scrutiny over whether Nogueira will sit the exam and whether study will affect his prison regime or sentence calculation.