Brazil’s Senate has approved a bill that could dramatically shorten the 27-year prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro, reducing it to just over two years. The measure, passed in a 48-25 vote, now heads to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who has not yet indicated whether he will sign it into law or veto it.
The legislation also provides sentence reductions for individuals convicted over the January 2023 riot in Brasilia, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalized the presidential palace, Supreme Court, and Congress. Roughly 2,000 people were arrested in connection with the attack, many of whom have since been convicted of attempting a coup.
Senator Esperidiao Amin, who sponsored the bill, described it as “part of our path to peace”. However, the proposal faces strong opposition from Lula’s government and the Supreme Court. Institutional Relations Minister Gleisi Hoffmann said those who attacked democracy must face justice, rejecting the idea of leniency.
Bolsonaro began serving his sentence last month after being convicted of plotting a coup following his defeat in the 2022 election. An earlier draft of the bill had proposed pardons for those involved in “political demonstrations” after Lula’s victory, but lawmakers ultimately ruled out granting full amnesty.
The bill was amended in committee to clarify that sentence reductions apply only to crimes linked to the attempted coup, not to other offenses. Amin argued the adjustment was minor and did not require the legislation to return to the lower house.
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