Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill early Wednesday morning aimed at reducing prison sentences for coup plotters , including former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro , who was sentenced to 27 years in prison last September.
The bill , which must now go to the Senate for discussion and eventual approval , was endorsed by 291 votes in favor, 148 against and one abstention.
The legislation proposes that the sentences for two of the crimes for which the former president was convicted (2019-2022), namely the attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and the coup d'état, should not be combined.
If finally approved, only the more severe of the two penalties would be applied, in this case the one for coup d'état , which provides for up to 12 years in prison and which would not be added to the penalty for attempted violent abolition, which establishes up to eight years in prison.
The law proposes reducing the penalty from one-third to two-thirds when coup-related crimes are committed as part of a "mob ," as happened in the assault by hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters on the headquarters of the Executive, Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia, the country's capital, on January 8, 2023.
According to Congressman Paulo Pereira da Silva, who introduced the bill, Bolsonaro could leave the regime closed in just over two years .
The legislator argued that the measure seeks "reconciliation" and wishes to "correct the excesses" in the sentences imposed by the Supreme Court, but "without avoiding accountability."
The leader of the deputies of the ruling Workers' Party (PT), Lindbergh Farias, rejected the bill and argued that "this chamber is embracing a coup."
Commiejones - 1day
If lula were a real socialist he would have purged the whole right wing of the governement not just put blosonaro in jail. It is nice to have an example of why dem-soc is a dead end but at what cost?
10
Conselheiro - 1day
Lula could literally veto and refuse to sanction this law, but he won't even talk about it unless absolutely pushed to. Workers Party ain't even demsoc anymore, they're just a redwashed liberal party.
9
big_spoon - 4hr
i mean, lula was more angry at the "rigged elections" claim against maduro,but he was too supportive of the rightoid noboa even when he was more likely to rigged the elections in ecuador
2
Maeve - 1day
Will it pass the Senate? Is Brazil on the brink of re-embracing fascism or revo?
7
Conselheiro - 1day
We don't know yet. A couple weeks ago there was a similar move that passed a constitutional amendment (PEC) of effectively complete judicial immunity for parlamentarians, but it immediately triggered protests with hundreds of thousands on the streets nationwide. After that the PEC was unanimously rejected by a Senate commission before even going to the vote. It was a massive win for the left.
We just had really great spontaneous protests against violence against women ("feminicídio" in Portuguese) last Sunday again, and there's plans for other protests this next Sunday. It's possible that the same method will work again, but we won't know until next week.
But regarding fascism or revolution, I think neither are a full option. This looks like the last gasp of the desperate Bolsonaro faction, and revolutionary forces are still too weak to play anything but defence right now. I think the only faction coming out of this on top is the institutional centrist Lula administration.
I'll try to keep people updated with English sources.
6
Maeve - 1day
Thanks so much. I really wish the best possible outcome for my Brazilian siblings! Best to you and hope you can stay safe.
5
Conselheiro - 1day
An additional bit from the same session in which this happened. There was also going to be a vote for the dismissal of four congresspeople, three of them being Bolsonaro-aligned coup plotters who fled the country, and one of them an actual socialist congressman, Glauber Braga, for spurious reasons.
Shortly before the vote on this bill, he occupied the chair of the presidency in protest and was forcibly removed. Afterwards press and assistants were also violently removed from the plenary by the police and transmissions were cut. So this vote was literally made under press blackout. Can't find an English source, but maybe auto translation works with this one.
7
Conselheiro - 17hr
Update: the motion for his dismissal was defeated due to not getting a strict majority (257 votes), but he will still be suspended for 6 months. The key point is he will still be eligible for election next year.
rainpizza in worldnews
Brazilian lawmakers approve bill to reduce Bolsonaro's sentence
https://www.telesurtv.net/diputados-brasilenos-aprueban-proyecto-para-reducir-condena-de-bolsonaro/Brazil's Chamber of Deputies approved a bill early Wednesday morning aimed at reducing prison sentences for coup plotters , including former far-right president Jair Bolsonaro , who was sentenced to 27 years in prison last September.
The bill , which must now go to the Senate for discussion and eventual approval , was endorsed by 291 votes in favor, 148 against and one abstention.
The legislation proposes that the sentences for two of the crimes for which the former president was convicted (2019-2022), namely the attempted violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and the coup d'état, should not be combined.
If finally approved, only the more severe of the two penalties would be applied, in this case the one for coup d'état , which provides for up to 12 years in prison and which would not be added to the penalty for attempted violent abolition, which establishes up to eight years in prison.
The law proposes reducing the penalty from one-third to two-thirds when coup-related crimes are committed as part of a "mob ," as happened in the assault by hundreds of Bolsonaro supporters on the headquarters of the Executive, Congress and the Supreme Court in Brasilia, the country's capital, on January 8, 2023.
According to Congressman Paulo Pereira da Silva, who introduced the bill, Bolsonaro could leave the regime closed in just over two years .
The legislator argued that the measure seeks "reconciliation" and wishes to "correct the excesses" in the sentences imposed by the Supreme Court, but "without avoiding accountability."
The leader of the deputies of the ruling Workers' Party (PT), Lindbergh Farias, rejected the bill and argued that "this chamber is embracing a coup."
If lula were a real socialist he would have purged the whole right wing of the governement not just put blosonaro in jail. It is nice to have an example of why dem-soc is a dead end but at what cost?
Lula could literally veto and refuse to sanction this law, but he won't even talk about it unless absolutely pushed to. Workers Party ain't even demsoc anymore, they're just a redwashed liberal party.
i mean, lula was more angry at the "rigged elections" claim against maduro,but he was too supportive of the rightoid noboa even when he was more likely to rigged the elections in ecuador
Will it pass the Senate? Is Brazil on the brink of re-embracing fascism or revo?
We don't know yet. A couple weeks ago there was a similar move that passed a constitutional amendment (PEC) of effectively complete judicial immunity for parlamentarians, but it immediately triggered protests with hundreds of thousands on the streets nationwide. After that the PEC was unanimously rejected by a Senate commission before even going to the vote. It was a massive win for the left.
We just had really great spontaneous protests against violence against women ("feminicídio" in Portuguese) last Sunday again, and there's plans for other protests this next Sunday. It's possible that the same method will work again, but we won't know until next week.
But regarding fascism or revolution, I think neither are a full option. This looks like the last gasp of the desperate Bolsonaro faction, and revolutionary forces are still too weak to play anything but defence right now. I think the only faction coming out of this on top is the institutional centrist Lula administration.
I'll try to keep people updated with English sources.
Thanks so much. I really wish the best possible outcome for my Brazilian siblings! Best to you and hope you can stay safe.
An additional bit from the same session in which this happened. There was also going to be a vote for the dismissal of four congresspeople, three of them being Bolsonaro-aligned coup plotters who fled the country, and one of them an actual socialist congressman, Glauber Braga, for spurious reasons.
Shortly before the vote on this bill, he occupied the chair of the presidency in protest and was forcibly removed. Afterwards press and assistants were also violently removed from the plenary by the police and transmissions were cut. So this vote was literally made under press blackout. Can't find an English source, but maybe auto translation works with this one.
Update: the motion for his dismissal was defeated due to not getting a strict majority (257 votes), but he will still be suspended for 6 months. The key point is he will still be eligible for election next year.