Lula Announces He Will Veto Law That Reduces Bolsonaro's Prison Sentence
Lula announces veto of law that could reduce Bolsonaro's prison sentence for coup-related offenses.
SUMMARY
Brazilian President Lula da Silva announced he will veto a law that could reduce Jair Bolsonaro's prison sentence, although Congress could override this veto. Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years for coup-related offenses, and the new law would reduce his effective prison time to just over two years. The law would also benefit other Bolsonaro supporters imprisoned for the January 2023 uprising. Lula reaffirms that the far right will not govern Brazil again.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Lula announces veto of law that reduces Bolsonaro's sentence for coup-related offenses.
- The law could reduce Bolsonaro's effective sentence to just over two years.
- The conservative-majority Congress could override the presidential veto.
- The law would also benefit Bolsonaro supporters imprisoned for the January 2023 uprising.
- Lula is confident the far right will not govern Brazil again.
CORE SUBJECT
Presidential veto of law reducing Bolsonaro's sentence
Brasilia (AFP) - Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced on Thursday that he will veto a law approved by Congress that could reduce the 27-year prison sentence of former president Jair Bolsonaro for coup-related offenses.
"When it reaches my desk, I will veto it," Lula said at a press conference in Brasilia, the day after the Senate gave the green light to the measure.
However, the leftist president's veto could later be overturned by the conservative-majority Congress.
Bolsonaro was sentenced in September by the Supreme Court to 27 years in prison for attempting to prevent Lula from taking office in 2022.
Under the new law, his effective prison time, currently calculated by the justice system until 2033, could be reduced to just over two years.
The bill was surprisingly processed within a week by both chambers of Congress, just before the Christmas recess.
The initiative benefits the main leader of Brazil's right and far-right, aged 70, who has been imprisoned since late November in the federal police facilities in Brasilia.
But it could also grant parole to more than a hundred Bolsonaro supporters imprisoned for the January 8, 2023, uprising in Brasilia, a week after Lula's inauguration.
"The far right will not return"
The Brazilian president has said that his predecessor "has to pay" the sentence imposed by the Supreme Court, but on Thursday he acknowledged that it is part of the political "game" that Congress might overturn his veto.
Bolsonaro's allies in Congress, however, emphasize that they will continue to push for a full amnesty.
"It wasn't exactly what we wanted, it wasn't what we were fighting for, but it is what was possible in this situation," said Senator Flávio Bolsonaro after the vote, who was designated by his father Jair as the right-wing candidate for the 2026 presidential elections.
Meanwhile, Lula plans to run for a fourth term.
The leftist said on Thursday that he was not going to "judge a son of Bolsonaro." But he expressed confidence that "the far right will not govern Brazil again."
Meanwhile, the former president's lawyers are requesting that he be transferred to a hospital quickly to undergo two surgeries, one to treat recurrent hiccups and another to repair an inguinal hernia.
Bolsonaro has undergone several surgeries due to a stabbing he suffered during the 2018 election campaign.
His defense also requested that the former president return to house arrest — where he remained for several months since August — due to his health condition.
KEYWORDS
MENTIONED ENTITIES 6
Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva
👤 Person_MalePresident of Brazil
Jair Bolsonaro
👤 Person_MaleFormer President of Brazil convicted for coup-related offenses
Brazilian Congress
🏛️ OrganizationLegislative body of Brazil
Brazilian Senate
🏛️ OrganizationUpper chamber of the Brazilian Congress
Flávio Bolsonaro
👤 Person_MaleSenator and ally of Jair Bolsonaro
Federal Police of Brasilia
🏛️ OrganizationDetention location of Jair Bolsonaro
NOTABLE QUOTES 3
""When it reaches my desk, I will veto it.""
Context: Announcement of the presidential veto of the law reducing Bolsonaro's sentence
""The far right will not govern Brazil again.""
Context: Statement about Brazil's political future
""It wasn't exactly what we wanted, it wasn't what we were fighting for, but it is what was possible in this situation.""
Context: Reaction after the vote in Congress