Bill that could reduce Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s prison time advances in Congress

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) – Brazil’s lower house of Congress approved a bill Wednesday aimed at reducing the time that former President Jair Bolsonaro spends behind bars following his sentence of more than 27 years for attempting a coup. But his successor has said he would veto the measure.

The bill now goes to the Senate. The bill’s centrist sponsor Paulinho da Força said it’s aimed at reconciliation and that if it’s adopted, the right-wing ex-president’s time behind bars could be reduced to two years and four months. But it would need to be sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the leftist president has previously said he would veto it.

Lawmakers voted 291-148 in favor of the bill following a contentious session in which scuffles broke out as members of Lula’s party, which holds only a minority of seats in the chamber, protested the proceedings.

The legislation would shorten prison sentences for all those convicted – including Bolsonaro – in connection with a riot on Jan. 8, 2023 when Bolsonaro’s supporters invaded government buildings in the capital, Brasilia. Justices said the ex-leader led a criminal organization behind the insurrection, which they said was aimed at overthrowing President Lula da Silva, who had taken office a week earlier following Bolsonaro’s election loss in October 2022.

The proposal would reduce Bolsonaro’s prison time by requiring the sentences for two of his convictions to run concurrently rather than consecutively, namely the crimes of attempting a coup and violent overthrow of the rule of law.

The bill also would change conditions for full and partial parole, allowing release from full confinement to day parole after serving one-sixth of the sentence, down from one-fourth currently.

Bolsonaro and his allies also have advocated for an amnesty for the former leader, but the legislation passed Wednesday focuses on reduction of sentences rather than an annulment of convictions.

Da Força, the centrist lawmaker behind the bill, said he was pushing the legislation as a way of contributing to peace and reconciliation in the politically divided country.

“I’m doing my part, so that we can pacify Brazil, and so that we can discuss the election next year and discuss the projects that matter for Brazil,” he said in a video on Instagram before the vote.

The lower house session, which began Tuesday afternoon, was marked by chaotic scenes prior to the vote early Wednesday. Left-wing lawmaker Glauber Braga took Speaker Hugo Motta’s seat and refused to leave, in a protest against Braga’s possible expulsion for breach of parliamentary decorum.

Security removed the media from the plenary and cut the television signal broadcasting the session. Police then forcibly removed Braga and scuffles broke out, with many lawmakers filming the scene.

The bill’s approval comes less than a week after Bolsonaro’s son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, said that he would run for president in the 2026 election. He said that his father had decided he should represent their political group.

The announcement displeased some right-wing politicians, who view Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas, a former member of Jair Bolsonaro’s Cabinet, as the natural successor. However, he has faced resistance from Bolsonaro’s inner circle.

Bolsonaro has been in prison since Nov. 22. He was transferred from house arrest to the federal police headquarters in Brasilia after attempting to violate his ankle monitor restrictions.

While Bolsonaro was already in prison, justices finalized his case and he started serving time.

Bolsonaro’s defense team has asked for the former president to be allowed to leave prison to undergo health procedures, a lawyer for Bolsonaro confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

In a document presented to the court, his defense team cites doctors saying that the former president needs to be hospitalized for between five and seven days.

Bolsonaro’s defense team are also pushing for the far-right politician to be returned to house arrest.