The Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil gave the green light to a law that had been vetoed by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The text stipulates the possibility of reducing the sentence times for former president Jair Bolsonaro, several senior members of his Government and dozens of followers convicted by the judicial system for crimes linked to the attempted coup d'état, carried out in January 2023.

First modification: 05/01/2026 - 03:38 Last modification: 05/01/2026 - 17:24

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The Brazilian Congress launches a rescue rally for the convicted former president Jair Bolsonaro.

This Thursday, April 30, the Legislature of Brasilia approved a reduction in sentences for the far-right political leader, several members of his cabinet and dozens of followers, who have been convicted by the judicial system for charges linked to an attempted coup d'état carried out on January 8, 2023, the day Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva took office as head of state.

Both the Senate and the Chamber of Deputies rejected Lula's veto against a law that had already been approved in December 2025 with the support of right-wing parties and some center parties.

In the Upper House, the result of the vote was 49 to 24, while 318 deputies cast votes in favor, compared to 144 against, to review the sentences related to the attacks against several of the headquarters of the State institutions located in the capital, Brasilia.

In the midst of the debate, the right-wing legislator and former magistrate, Sergio Moro, stated that the veto of the law ruled by Lula da Silva was “cruel” and pointed out that the prison terms dictated by the judicial system headed by the Supreme Court were in many cases “absurd.”

On the other side, the ruling Workers' Party bench criticized the opposition's position of trying to reevaluate what happened. Deputy Gleisi Hoffmann affirmed that the measure "attacks" the Constitution, and "minimizes" the Bolsonaro supporters' attempt to undermine democratic institutions.

What do possible sentence reductions consist of?

The approved norm prevents the accumulation of sentences for crimes classified in a similar way, in addition to stipulating reductions in sentence times of between one third and two thirds for the crimes of attempted coup d'état or overthrow, when they have been committed as part of a crowd.

The mitigating circumstances exclude cases in which the convicted person has financed or led the subversive acts.

People who are deprived of their liberty due to the events that occurred on January 8 may also benefit from a progression of the prison regime after serving one-sixth of their sentence, meaning that with the approval of a judge they could receive alternative measures of confinement, such as home confinement.

However, Davi Alcolumbre, president of Brazil's Senate, argued that the scope of the decision excludes atrocity crimes, a claim that could be reviewed in court.

In the specific case of former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to a predictive model carried out by the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo, the far-right could see his sentence reduced from 27 years and three months to 22 years and one month, with the particularity that he would have the possibility of requesting permanent home confinement status three years and three months after being convicted.

The former president was definitively sentenced by the Supreme Court of Brazil in September 2025. However, a judge allowed him to move to house arrest on March 27, due to his multiple health problems.

Other members of Bolsonaro's former cabinet, such as former Defense Minister Walter Braga, former Justice Minister Anderson Torres, and former military man Almir Garnier, could also choose to reduce their prison terms, dictated by their participation in the coup attempt.

Bolsonarism celebrates ahead of the elections

After learning the result of the Congress vote, senator and presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro, son of the convicted former president, declared on his X account that this “is the first step to provide comprehensive justice to those politically persecuted on January 8.”

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The leader of the Liberal Party of Brazil also celebrated with his colleagues shouting: "The defeat of the Workers' Party is the victory of Brazil!"

Another setback in the legislative against the Government of Lula da Silva occurred on Wednesday, when the candidate nominated by the president to be part of the country's Supreme Court was rejected, something that had not happened since 1894.

Lawyer Jorge Messias, a figure close to the head of state, needed the favorable vote of 41 senators and only obtained 34 supports, an unexpected defeat for the ruling party.

They are two decisions that occur in a pre-electoral context, since on October 4 there will be general elections for the Presidency and legislative elections. There, Lula will face Senator Flávio Bolsonaro.

According to the most recent survey by the Atlas Intel firm, the current president has a voting intention of 46.6%, while Bolsonaro would achieve 39.7% of the votes.

That is to say, Brazil is going through a new battle between the far-right Bolsonaro movement and the progressive leftism of the Workers' Party.

With EFE and AP

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