Name: Brazil protests senate bill slashing Bolsonaro’s prison sentence
Uploaded: 2025-12-15T07:54:10.114Z
Duration: 2 min 4 s
Description: Protests in Brazil against politicians who are trying to reduce the prison sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Protests in Brazil against politicians who are trying to reduce the prison sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Brasília

Large protests erupted in several Brazilian cities, including Brasília, São Paulo, and Rio de Janeiro, as demonstrators voiced opposition to a proposed senate bill that would reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro’s prison sentence from 27 years to just over two. Bolsonaro was convicted by the Supreme Court for orchestrating a coup attempt after losing the 2022 presidential election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

The bill, which passed the House in a late-night session, is seen by protesters as an effort by a conservative-led Congress to overturn court decisions and serve political interests. The move has also highlighted broader tensions, as Congress has recently overridden President Lula’s vetoes on environmental and indigenous rights legislation, deepening Brazil’s political divisions ahead of upcoming elections.

Brazil protests senate bill slashing Bolsonaro’s prison sentence

In the capital, Brasilia, in São Paulo and on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach, thousands marched across the country, chanting that they will never accept an amnesty for coup plotters. Protesters say a conservative-led Congress is trying to free former President Jair Bolsonaro from prison. We have to stop the right wing from overturning the Supreme Court's decision. Freeing Bolsonaro after he tried to remain in power through a coup sends the message that attacks on democracy have no consequences. The bill passed the House in a late-night session and heads to the Senate next week. If approved, it would cut Bolsonaro's sentence from 27 years to just over two. He was convicted by Brazil's Supreme Court for orchestrating a coup attempt after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. I don't belong to any political party. I'm here because this Congress doesn't represent the Brazilian people. Lawmakers are overturning court decisions to serve their own political interests. Even with Bolsonaro in prison, the right still sees him as a political kingmaker, whose support will be key in challenging President Lula's re-election bid. Congress has also dealt major blows to Lula's environmental and indigenous rights agenda. Lawmakers overrode his vetoes on the licensing bill, opening protected areas to mining and agribusiness. They also moved to impose a 1988 cutoff on indigenous land claims, denying rights to communities forcibly displaced before them. Congress is doing everything it can to dismantle Lula's legacy and elect more conservative lawmakers. As Latin America's largest economy enters campaign mode, Brazil's deep political divisions are increasingly visible, both inside Congress and on the streets. Monica Iannacchio, Aljazeera.

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