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1h ago

Nationwide Protests in Brazil Reject Bolsonaro Amnesty as Senate Fight Looms

The Senate becomes the key gatekeeper after the lower house advanced an amnesty proposal alongside a shielding measure.

Demonstrators protest an amnesty bill that could benefit former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies convicted for a 2023 coup attempt, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
Image
People protest against the PEC 3/2021, known as 'PEC da Blindagem' (Shield PEC), approved this week on the Congress and against the Amnesty Bill that changes the penalties for those convicted of planning a coup and the coup plotters, which will be voted next week, at Paulista Avenue in Sao Paulo, Brazil September 21, 2025. REUTERS/Tuane Fernandes
Demonstrators protest an amnesty bill that could absolve former President Jair Bolsonaro and his allies convicted for a 2023 coup attempt, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Sept. 21, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Overview

  • Tens of thousands demonstrated in all 26 states and the Federal District against moves to pardon Jair Bolsonaro and to curb prosecutions of federal lawmakers.
  • The Chamber of Deputies passed a constitutional "Shielding Bill" that would require a secret-ballot vote in Congress to authorize charges or arrests of legislators.
  • Lawmakers also fast-tracked an amnesty bill that could cover Bolsonaro and hundreds convicted over the January 2023 rampage in Brasília, sending both measures to the Senate.
  • President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has pledged to veto the amnesty, and reporting indicates both proposals face an uphill path in the upper house.
  • Bolsonaro, convicted on Sept. 11 and sentenced to 27 years and three months for plotting to overturn the 2022 election, is under house arrest as appeals proceed, with court findings describing plans to poison Lula and kill a Supreme Court justice.