Brazilians protest against bids to ease punishment for Bolsonaro, allies
Tens of thousands of Brazilians have taken to the streets to protest a bill advancing in Congress that would significantly shorten the prison term of former President Jair Messias Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to more than 27 years in jail for attempting to overturn Brazil’s 2022 presidential election.
Demonstrations, organized by social movements, artists, and political parties, were held across major Brazilian cities on Monday.
Protesters voiced opposition to lawmakers’ efforts to soften penalties for Bolsonaro and his allies, including supporters convicted over the attack on government buildings in Brasília after his electoral defeat.
The rallies were the first major nationwide protests since Bolsonaro began serving his sentence last month.
The former president, whose far-right movement reshaped Brazil’s political landscape, is being held in a specially prepared cell at a federal police facility in the capital.
The demonstrations followed a vote last week in the lower house of Congress, where a conservative majority advanced a bill that, according to its sponsor, could cut Bolsonaro’s sentence to just over two years. The proposal now awaits debate in the Senate.
If approved, the measure would also reduce sentences for Bolsonaro’s supporters involved in the 2023 storming of government institutions in Brasília.
Even under the new rules, Bolsonaro, now 70, would remain barred from holding public office for another three decades.
The bill would further revise parole rules, allowing prisoners to move from full confinement to parole after serving one-sixth of their sentence, compared with one-fourth under current law.
President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 election and plans to seek reelection next year, is expected to veto the bill if it clears the Senate. Congress could override such a veto, a step likely to trigger challenges before Brazil’s Supreme Court.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles have also drawn attention abroad. In July, US President Donald Trump imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods, citing several reasons, including Bolsonaro’s trial, which he described as a “witch hunt.”
Brazilians, including President da Silva and the Supreme Court, condemned Trump’s actions as attempts to interfere in the country’s internal affairs.
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