Bill that could reduce Brazilian ex-President Jair Bolsonaro's prison time advances in Congress

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazil’s lower house of Congress approved a bill early Wednesday that could reduce the amount of time former that President Jair Bolsonaro spends in prison, where he currently is after being sentenced to more than 27 years behind bars for attempting a coup.

The bill will now go to the Senate. Lawmaker Paulinho da Força, the bill's sponsor, said that if approved, the ex-president’s time behind bars could be reduced to two years and four months. But it would need to be sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva — and the leftist president has previously said he would veto it.

Lawmakers voted 291-148 in favor of the bill that would shorten prison sentences for all those convicted — including Bolsonaro — in connection with the riot on Jan. 8, 2023, when Bolsonaro's supporters invaded government buildings in the capital, Brasilia.

Justices said that the ex-leader led the criminal organization behind the insurrection that they say was aimed at overthrowing President Lula da Silva, who had taken office a week earlier following Bolsonaro’s election loss in October 2022.

The proposal would reduce Bolsonaro’s prison sentence by combining the sentences for the crimes of a coup attempt and violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, two of the five counts of which Bolsonaro was found guilty. The bill argues that the punishment shouldn't be cumulative as the two counts overlap.

The bill also stipulates that sentence progression should be faster than it currently is, allowing release from closed confinement after serving one sixth of the sentence, down from one-fourth currently.

Bolsonaro and his allies advocated for amnesty, but the proposal focuses on the reduction of sentences rather than addressing the annulment of convictions.

Da Força, the centrist lawmaker behind the bill, said that he has been pushing for the lower house's approval to contribute to peace in the country.

“I’m doing my part, so that we can pacify Brazil, and so that we can discuss the election next year and discuss the projects that matter for Brazil,” he said in a video on Instagram before the vote.

The lower house session, which began Tuesday afternoon, was marked by chaotic scenes prior to the vote early Wednesday. Left-wing lawmaker Glauber Braga took Speaker Hugo Motta's seat and refused to leave, in a protest against his possible expulsion for breach of parliamentary decorum.

Security removed the media from the plenary and cut the television signal broadcasting the session. Police then forcibly removed Braga and scuffles broke out, with many lawmakers filming the scene.

The bill’s approval comes less than a week after Bolsonaro’s son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, said that he would run for president in the 2026 election. He said that his father had decided he should represent their political group.

The announcement displeased some right-wing politicians, who view Sao Paulo Gov. Tarcísio de Freitas, a former member of Jair Bolsonaro’s Cabinet, as the natural successor. However, he has faced resistance from Bolsonaro’s inner circle.

Bolsonaro has been in prison since Nov. 22. He was transferred from house arrest to the federal police headquarters in Brasilia after attempting to violate his ankle monitor restrictions.

While Bolsonaro was already in prison, justices finalized his case and he started serving time.

Bolsonaro’s defense team has asked for the former president to be allowed to leave prison to undergo health procedures, a lawyer for Bolsonaro confirmed to The Associated Press on Wednesday.

In a document presented to the court, his defense team cites doctors saying that the former president needs to be hospitalized for between five and seven days.

Bolsonaro’s defense team are also pushing for the far-right politician to be returned to house arrest.