Brazilian Congress has approved a bill to reduce the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro, leaving only President Lula da Silva's signature to enact it.
Foreign news agencies reported on 18 Dec 2025 that Brazil's Congress voted to pass a bill reducing the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was sentenced to 27 years for masterminding an attempted coup to overturn the 2022 election results.
The bill was approved by the Chamber of Deputies last week and passed the Senate late on Wednesday (17 Dec). It has now been sent to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who has 15 working days to decide whether to sign it into law or veto it.
However, Lula da Silva, who was a target of the assassination plot linked to the coup attempt, has indicated he will veto the bill. Yet, his decision could be overturned later by the conservative-majority Congress.
Legal experts predict the bill would reduce Bolsonaro's minimum prison term from six years to just over two years, not including other sentence reductions such as good behavior or officially recognized reading programs.
Currently, Bolsonaro, Brazil's former far-right leader, is serving his sentence in a special detention cell at the Federal Police headquarters in Brasília. His legal team is seeking Supreme Court approval for him to undergo hernia surgery.
Although the bill falls short of the "full amnesty" that Bolsonaro and his sons have long demanded, the passage of the bill has been welcomed by the former president's family.
Flavio Bolsonaro, Bolsonaro's son and a Brazilian senator who is expected to run against Lula da Silva in the 2026 presidential election, posted: "It may not be exactly what we wanted... but it is what is possible right now."
The bill reduces prison time by consolidating sentences from two different charges—"attempted coup" and "violent overthrow of the democratic regime"—counting only the highest penalty among them.
The bill benefits not only Bolsonaro but also his close associates, including high-ranking military officers convicted for the first time of attempting a coup in Brazil, as well as hundreds involved in the January 8, 2023, attack that damaged property in Brasília.
Because of this, the bill's approval is seen as a significant setback for those who once celebrated the convictions, which were viewed as a sign of democratic progress in Brazil. Recent opinion polls show most Brazilians oppose this sentence reduction.
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Source:The Guardian