Brazilian congress passes bill to cut Jair Bolsonaro’s 27-year prison term

Brazil's congress has given the green light to a bill that could shorten the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Bolsonaro was initially sentenced to over 27 years for allegedly orchestrating an attempted coup to overturn the results of the 2022 elections.

The bill, which passed the lower house last week and the senate on Wednesday, now awaits action from President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He has 15 working days to either sign it into law or veto it.

President Lula, who was reportedly targeted in an assassination plot linked to the coup attempt, is expected to veto the bill. That said, the reality is a bit more complicated. the largely conservative congress would likely override his veto.

Legal experts predict the bill could reduce Bolsonaro's time in a closed regime – currently a minimum of six years – to just over two years. This reduction would depend on factors such as good behavior or participating in sentence reduction programs like reading books.

Bolsonaro is currently serving his sentence in a special cell at the federal police headquarters in Brasília. His legal team is also seeking Supreme Court authorization for him to undergo hernia surgery.

While the legislation doesn't grant the full amnesty that Bolsonaro and his sons had sought, its passage is still being viewed as a victory by the former president's family.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president's son and a potential challenger to Lula in the 2026 election, acknowledged the bill wasn't ideal but stated, "It wasn’t exactly what we wanted … but it’s what was possible."

The bill aims to reduce prison time by combining sentences for separate crimes, such as "attempted coup" and "violent abolition of the democratic rule of law," and applying only the punishment for the more serious offense.

This legislation benefits not only Bolsonaro but also his aides, including high-ranking military officers convicted for their involvement in the coup attempt. Hundreds of individuals who ransacked the capital on January 8, 2023, will also see reduced sentences.

Consequently, the bill's approval is considered a setback for those who celebrated the convictions as a positive step for democracy in Brazil. Recent polling indicates that a majority of Brazilians oppose reducing the sentences.