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Brazilian Senate Panel Backs Bill to Cut Bolsonaro Sentence

A promised veto from Lula sets up a test of Brazil's checks on power.

A general view of a session to vote on a bill, which proposes reducing the sentences for January 8, 2023, riot convictions, including former President Jair Bolsonaro's, at the Brazilian Federal Senate in Brasilia, Brazil, December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado
Senators celebrate during a session to vote on a bill that would reduce sentences for those convicted in the January 8, 2023, riots, including former President Jair Bolsonaro, at the Brazilian Federal Senate in Brasilia, Brazil, December 17, 2025. REUTERS/Adriano Machado
Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro could see his 27-year prison sentence on coup-related charges slashed if the Senate passes a bill previously adopted by the lower house of Congress

Overview

  • The Senate's judicial committee approved the sentencing bill by 17–7, sending it to the full chamber for debate with a vote expected before the year-end recess.
  • The measure, already passed by the lower house, would change how overlapping sentences are calculated and could reduce Jair Bolsonaro's 27-year term to a little over two years.
  • Senators revised the text to narrow its reach after concerns it could ease penalties broadly, with the stated focus on coup-related convictions and January 2023 rioters.
  • President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vowed to veto the bill if it reaches his desk, and lawmakers note Congress can override a presidential veto.
  • Protesters rallied nationwide with "no amnesty" chants, as critics warned of a regulatory vacuum while backers, including Sergio Moro, framed the effort as reconciliation.