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Brazil Protests Mount as Senate Takes Up Bill to Cut Bolsonaro’s 27-Year Sentence

Lula has vowed to veto any measure that reduces penalties tied to the coup attempt.

Overview

  • The Chamber of Deputies approved a sentencing-change bill that would make some penalties concurrent and allow daytime parole after one-sixth of a term, a shift that could shorten punishments for January 8, 2023 offenders.
  • Bill sponsor Paulinho da Força calls the proposal a push for reconciliation and says it could cut Jair Bolsonaro’s prison time to about two years and four months.
  • Tens of thousands rallied across at least 13 state capitals, with marches in Brasília and São Paulo and a Copacabana “musical protest” featuring Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil.
  • The measure now sits with the Senate, where analysts expect pressure for changes after the mass demonstrations, and the president has stated he would veto the legislation.
  • In a separate development, Brazil’s Supreme Court on Tuesday sentenced the final five defendants in the coup plot to eight to 26 years, capping a process that has produced 29 convictions including Bolsonaro’s more than 27-year term.