Brazil’s political landscape was thrown into fresh turmoil this week as the lower house of Congress approved a bill that could dramatically reduce the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a 27-year term for attempting to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election. The move, which would also benefit over a thousand of his supporters and several high-ranking officials convicted alongside him, has ignited fierce debate across the country and drawn condemnation from both the left and advocates for press freedom.
The bill, passed in the early hours of December 11, 2025, is now headed to the Senate, where its fate remains uncertain. If enacted, it could see Bolsonaro’s sentence slashed to as little as two years and four months, with time already spent under house arrest counting toward the reduced term, according to The Independent and AP reports. The legislation was approved by a 291-148 vote, reflecting the enduring strength of Bolsonaro’s right-wing bloc and its centrist allies in the Chamber of Deputies.
The bill’s sponsor, Paulinho da Força of the centrist Solidarity Party, has pitched the measure as a way to “pacify” the country and help society move past the unrest that erupted in January 2023. “There is no possibility of amnesty,” he insisted, according to The Independent. “We spoke with all the parties, and the only viable project to pacify Brazil is the reduction of sentences.”
The legislation would not only benefit Bolsonaro, who began serving his sentence in November after being convicted on five charges—including seeking the violent abolition of democratic rule of law—but also dozens of his supporters and several top officials. Among those named are former Navy commander Almir Garnier, former Defense Minister Paulo Sérgio Nogueira, former Chief of Staff Walter Braga Netto, former Institutional Security Office head Augusto Heleno, and former Justice Minister Anderson Torres. Their sentences, ranging from 19 to 26 years, could also be sharply reduced.
Prosecutors allege that the January 8, 2023, protests—during which Bolsonaro loyalists stormed and ransacked the presidential palace, Supreme Court, and Congress—were part of a broader conspiracy to overturn President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s election victory. The bill’s provisions for sentence reductions of between one-third and two-thirds for crimes committed in the context of a “crowd” could result in the release of dozens of Bolsonaro supporters currently imprisoned for their roles in the unrest, as detailed by AP.
The scene inside the Chamber of Deputies on December 10 was nothing short of chaotic. According to Al Jazeera, left-wing congressman Glauber Braga attempted to block the vote by occupying the chamber president’s chair. Police forcibly removed him, triggering a melee that saw lawmakers, police, and journalists caught in the fray. Tulio Amancio, a reporter for TV Band, described the pandemonium: “There’s always pushing and shoving. There’s always some kind of confusion. It’s part of political coverage involving authorities, but physical aggression in the way it happened this Tuesday, unfortunately, will be remembered as a sad chapter in this story here in Congress.”
Journalists were expelled from the chamber and the live television feed was cut—moves that journalist associations swiftly condemned as intimidation tactics and censorship. Three major journalists’ groups issued a joint statement denouncing what they saw as an unacceptable assault on press freedom during a moment of national importance, as reported by The Independent.
Maria do Rosario, a congresswoman from the left-wing Workers’ Party, was among those who voted against the bill. She criticized Chamber President Hugo Motta for his handling of the protest and the decision to call in police to remove Braga. “He was treated with profound violence,” Rosario told Al Jazeera. “He was dragged out, and at the same time, this agenda that President Hugo Motta has put forward is a disgrace that undermines democracy.”
In his own statement on social media, Motta argued that Braga’s actions disrespected the legislative branch but also called for an investigation into “possible excesses regarding press coverage.” He wrote, “We must protect democracy from shouting, from authoritarian gestures, from intimidation disguised as a political act.”
The bill’s journey is far from over. It must now pass the Senate, where Lula’s governing coalition holds only a narrow majority. Even if the Senate approves the measure, it would still require President Lula’s signature to become law. Lula is widely expected to veto the bill, but Congress could override any veto with an absolute majority in both houses—a prospect that remains uncertain given the current political arithmetic.
Lula’s Institutional Relations Minister, Gleisi Hoffmann, called the lower house vote a “serious setback,” arguing that the bill would weaken laws defending democracy and undermine Supreme Court rulings in the ongoing coup-plotter trials. “This is the result of political interests between the Bolsonaro family and opposition leaders,” Hoffmann said, as cited by The Independent.
Meanwhile, Bolsonaro’s legal team has filed a request seeking permission for the former president to leave prison for surgery and to serve his sentence under house arrest on health grounds, as reported by the BBC. Bolsonaro, who was stabbed in the abdomen during a 2018 campaign rally and has since undergone several surgeries, spent time in intensive care earlier this year after intestinal surgery.
The political drama has been further inflamed by Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, who announced his own 2026 presidential bid on December 5. Flavio controversially suggested he would withdraw his candidacy if his father were released from prison—a statement he later retracted, asserting his candidacy was “irreversible.” “The price was his father’s freedom,” Maria do Rosario remarked, echoing widespread speculation about Flavio’s intentions.
The bill’s passage comes after earlier efforts by Bolsonaro’s allies to secure a full amnesty for those convicted over the January 8 events foundered in the face of public outcry and mass protests. Lawmakers instead settled on sentence reductions as a compromise, though critics argue this still undermines accountability for the assault on Brazil’s democratic institutions.
For now, the country waits as the Senate prepares to debate the bill in the coming week. With the Supreme Court and President Lula both likely to oppose the legislation, the coming days promise yet more political fireworks. The outcome could reshape not only Bolsonaro’s future but also the broader struggle over democracy and the rule of law in Brazil.