Lula Blocks Bolsonaro Sentence Reduction

Brazil’s leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva on Thursday rejected a law that significantly shortened the prison sentence of former far-right leader Jair Bolsonaro, who was found guilty last year of attempting a coup.

Lula vetoed the legislation passed by Congress late last year, coinciding with the third anniversary of major riots in Brasilia instigated by Bolsonaro’s supporters following his defeat in the 2022 elections.

The Brazilian president had been openly vocal about his intention to overturn the law, which would reduce Bolsonaro’s sentence from 27 years to just over two.

However, since Brazil’s Congress is largely conservative, it has the power to override his veto.

Bolsonaro, 70, began serving his sentence in November. The Supreme Court denied his request to serve his sentence at home on health grounds.

According to existing regulations, Bolsonaro is expected to spend at least 8 years in prison.

He was found guilty of a conspiracy to prevent Lula from taking office after his narrow defeat in a contentious 2022 election that exposed deep political rifts in Brazil.

Prosecutors claimed the plot failed due to a lack of backing from military leaders.

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