Brasil's Lower House Passes Bill To Lower Bolsonaro's Prison Sentence.

Brazil’s Lower House Passes Bill to Shorten Bolsonaro’s Coup Sentence Brazil Brazil’s lower house of Congress approved a bill Wednesday that could potentially reduce the prison sentence of former conservative President Jair Bolsonaro, who was recently sentenced to 27 years in jail for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential elections, Reuters reported. The bill, passed in a 291-148 vote, would cut the sentence for individuals convicted of coup-related offenses. Lawmaker Paulinho da Força, who sponsored the bill, estimated the move would reduce Bolsonaro’s term by at least two years in prison. The proposed legislation would also shorten sentences for Bolsonaro’s allies convicted for coup-related charges, as well as for supporters prosecuted for storming the presidential palace, Supreme Court, and Congress in the capital, Brasilia, during the January 2023 riots. The vote was marked by a series of disruptions and scuffles among lawmakers, with one leftist legislator denouncing it as a “coup offensive,” the BBC added. Earlier drafts of the bill had proposed granting amnesty to those involved in the post-election protests, but da Força said he rejected such provisions. The bill will still need to be approved by the upper house, the Senate, and could be struck down by the Supreme Court. It comes three months after Bolsonaro was sentenced for plotting a coup after losing the election to his leftist rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Supreme Court found he had proposed a coup to military leaders and that he knew of a plot to assassinate Lula. Bolsonaro and his supporters have rejected the investigation as a “witch hunt.” Observers said Wednesday’s vote marks the latest effort by Bolsonaro’s allies in Congress to exonerate him, a topic that remains divisive in Brazil: In September, lawmakers loyal to Bolsonaro backed away from a bill that would have granted him amnesty following nationwide protests.