«No Amnesty for Coup Plotters!»: Brazil Mobilizes Against Law That Could Lessen Bolsonaro’s Sentence

Original article: “¡Ninguna amnistía a los golpistas!”: Brasil se moviliza contra ley que podría reducir pena a Bolsonaro

Thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in various cities across the country to protest the Dosimetry Law, recently approved by the Chamber of Deputies, which could significantly decrease the sentences of those responsible for the coup attempts on January 8, 2023, including former president Jair Bolsonaro.

Under the banner «No Amnesty for Coup Plotters!», the demonstrators labeled the initiative as an «attack on democracy» and demanded its rejection in the Senate.

The protests, organized by social movements, unions, and civil society organizations, took place in São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Brasília, Belo Horizonte, and other regional capitals.

In São Paulo, protesters gathered on the symbolic Avenida Paulista, while in the federal capital, they marched towards the National Congress, the site of the attempted coup that sought to prevent current president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 elections.

“We see this as an amnesty and the crimes committed against democracy are very serious and cannot be forgiven, especially since impunity fosters future attempts at coups,” stated Juliana Donato, a member of the Front for a Fearless People, one of the organizations that organized the mobilization, according to statements reported by RT.

In Rio de Janeiro, approximately 19,000 people overflowed Copacabana beach with banners reading “No Amnesty” and “Congress, Enemy of the People,” while iconic musicians such as Caetano Veloso, Gilberto Gil, and Chico Buarque performed on a small stage.

Meanwhile, in São Paulo, around 14,000 individuals assembled at the iconic Avenida Paulista to voice their opposition to Bolsonaro.

The bill, passed by the lower house, modifies the rules of penal dosimetry—the calculation of sentences—by preventing the accumulation of sentences for related crimes and allowing convicted individuals to progress to a less restrictive penitentiary regime after serving only one-sixth of their sentence in a closed regime. In practice, the most serious crime—»coup d’état»—would absorb related offenses, such as the «violent abolition of democratic rule of law.»

According to legal experts, the new law could drastically reduce Bolsonaro’s 27-year sentence to about 2 years and 4 months, in addition to allowing for early parole benefits.

It would also benefit other convicts, including those who attacked the seats of power in January 2023.

“We cannot let him out!,” stated agronomist Viviane Anjos to the AFP agency, highlighting that if Bolsonaro is released in two years, “we will end the legal process in the country, destroying the Constitution.”

Bolsonaro Sentenced to 27 Years in Prison for Coup Attempt

It is worth noting that since late November, the former president began serving his historic sentence of 27 years in prison for attempting a coup, after the Supreme Court ruled on Tuesday that all avenues of appeal had been exhausted.

The former leader (2019-2022) had been under house arrest since August but was transferred to a police complex in Brasília on Saturday due to “risk of fleeing” after damaging his monitoring ankle bracelet with a soldering iron. Although his defense claimed it was an episode of “mental confusion” caused by medication, the Brazilian Supreme Court rejected that argument.

The Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes, the case’s instructor and whom the bolsonarism considers its worst enemy, did not accept the defense’s request to allow him to serve his sentence under house arrest, arguing that the retired Army captain suffers from recurrent gastrointestinal and hiccup crises as a consequence of a stabbing he suffered in 2018.

In the ruling issued on September 11 by the Supreme Court, the far-right leader was found guilty of operating to prevent Lula da Silva’s inauguration, who defeated him in the October 2022 elections.

The judicial decision adopted by 4-1 condemned him for five crimes: attempted coup d’état, attempted violent overthrow of the democratic rule of law, leading a criminal organization, damage to public property, and damage to protected heritage.

According to records, the operation included the assault on the seats of the three powers of the state that occurred on January 8, 2023, when thousands of far-right activists attempted to rally the Armed Forces to overthrow the progressive leader, who had taken office a week earlier.

The prosecution indicated that the coup plot also included plans to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. However, these crimes did not materialize due to a lack of support from high-ranking military officials.

Alongside Bolsonaro, several of his collaborators and the military personnel who supported his criminal actions were also convicted. Notably, Walter Braga Netto, former Minister of the Civil House and one of his most trusted allies, was sentenced to 26 years in prison, starting in a closed regime.