São Paulo (EFE).- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva vetoed on Thursday the bill approved by Congress that sought to reduce the sentences of far-right former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years in prison, and other participants in the coup conspiracy that occurred after the 2022 elections.
Lula signed the veto during a commemorative event in Brasília on the third anniversary of the assault on the headquarters of the three branches of government, which occurred on Jan. 8, 2023, at the hands of Bolsonaro supporters.
During his speech, Lula, accompanied by several government officials, emphasized the strength of Brazilian democratic institutions, which, according to him, provided those accused of the attempted coup with a fair trial and preserved their rights.
“Perhaps the most convincing proof of the vigor of Brazilian democracy is the trial of the coup plotters by the STF,” said the progressive president.
“All of them had a broad right to defense. They were judged with transparency and impartiality,” Lula said, congratulating the Supreme Federal Court justices in charge of the process. He said their conduct “will be remembered in history.”
Initially intended as a symbol of consensus among the three branches of government, the ceremony was absent the presidents of the Senate, Davi Alcolumbre, and the Chamber of Deputies, Hugo Motta, who cited personal matters as the reason for their absence.
Members of the Supreme Federal Court were also absent, choosing to organize their own institutional events.
However, the National Congress can overturn Lula’s veto and approve the legislative project without the president’s signature.
The vetoed bill contains measures that directly benefit the coup movement’s leadership. Among these measures is the prevention of the accumulation of sentences for crimes such as the attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and coup.
The bill considers these crimes similar types of offenses and imposes the most severe penalty, significantly reducing the length of the conviction.
The proposal also suggests reducing sentences by up to two-thirds if the crimes were committed as part of a “multitude,” as occurred in the Jan. 8, 2023, assault. Furthermore, it allows for faster progression to the semi-open regime after serving only one-sixth of the sentence.
Bolsonaro, high-ranking military officials, and former ministers of the conservative cabinet could leave the closed regime in just over two years. However, they would still be required to sleep in prison and spend weekends confined for a period determined by the judiciary.
Three years after the violent acts at the headquarters of the government, legislature, and judiciary, the Supreme Court has convicted over 1,399 individuals, according to data released Thursday by the same institution.
Of the 31 major officials accused of leading, planning, or executing the coup plot, 29 were sentenced to prison, including former President Jair Bolsonaro, identified as the mastermind behind the operation, as well as other allies and members of his government.
The remaining two, an army general and a federal police delegate and former director of operations for the Ministry of Justice, were acquitted due to lack of evidence.
The convictions were handed down for the following crimes: attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, coup, participation in an armed criminal organization, and severe damage to and deterioration of protected heritage.
So far, only seven of the so-called “Core 1,” to which the far-right leader belongs, have been sentenced; the others are still in the appeals process. EFE
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