Brazil’s Congress reduces Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

The bill passed by Congress last year reduces prison terms for several crimes, including those against the democratic rule of law and leading a coup when a person is convicted in both. The new legislation states that only the count carrying the highest sentence should be counted.

Sen. Davi Alcolumbre, president of Brazil’s Senate, argued earlier that the scope of the decision excludes heinous crimes, a claim legal experts say will be questioned in court.

Bolsonaro allies in Congress said the move benefits not only the former president, but also supporters who were sentenced for destroying government buildings in capital Brasilia on Jan. 8, 2023, in a riot that mirrored the assault on the U.S. Capitol Hill two years earlier.

The vote hands Lula another significant defeat in Congress months before his bid for a fourth nonconsecutive term. Wednesday evening he had his nominee to a seat in the Supreme Court rejected by the country’s Senate, a first in 132 years.

“They want to release Bolsonaro, his jailed generals and stop federal police investigations that implicate them,” said lawmaker Lindberg Farias, a Lula ally. “This is a day of infamy.”

Several lawmakers voting on Thursday spoke on the podium about October’s election. Four years ago, Lula beat Jair Bolsonaro by a narrow margin to return to the presidency. The president’s rival in his bid for reelection will be Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the sons of the former president.

“If it is God’s will, I will govern this country,” said Flávio Bolsonaro during the vote. “I will hug you and take care of you, no matter what your political view is.”

Lula is yet to make public comments about his defeats in Congress.

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Mauricio Savarese, The Associated Press

by The Canadian Press

Brazil’s Congress reduces Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison sentence

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