Brasília: Brazilian president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has said the government will veto a bill passed by Congress that would significantly reduce the prison term of former president Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to more than 27 years for leading an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election.
The bill was approved late on Wednesday after clearing the lower house last week. It would reduce the minimum time Bolsonaro must serve in a closed prison regime from six years to just over two, depending on sentence reduction rules such as good behaviour and participation in reading programmes.
Speaking to journalists , Lula said the veto would be issued once the bill reaches the presidential desk. Lula added that individuals who committed crimes against Brazil’s democratic system must be held accountable, while acknowledging that Congress has the constitutional power to overturn a presidential veto.
Bolsonaro, a far-right former army captain, is currently being held in a special cell at federal police headquarters in Brasília. Legal teams have also requested authorisation from the supreme court for medical treatment related to a hernia condition.
The legislation does not offer full amnesty, which Bolsonaro and members of his family had sought. However, it changes how sentences are calculated by allowing courts to merge penalties for related crimes, such as attempting a coup and violently undermining the democratic order, while counting only the offence with the longer sentence.
Bolsonaro’s family has welcomed the bill despite its limited scope. Senator Flávio Bolsonaro said the outcome was not ideal but described it as the only politically viable option under current conditions.
Lula, who returned to office after narrowly defeating Bolsonaro in 2022, was later found by investigators to have been a target of an alleged assassination plot linked to the failed coup attempt. The political divide remains sharp, with Brazil’s largely conservative Congress continuing to challenge the left-wing president’s agenda.
If Congress overturns Lula’s veto, the bill would become law, marking a significant shift in how sentences related to attacks on Brazil’s democratic institutions are enforced.
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