Brazil's President Lula vetoes law reducing Bolsonaro's sentence

Brasília (AFP/dpa/AP) - Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has vetoed a law dramatically reducing the prison sentence of former leader Jair Bolsonaro, convicted last year of coup plotting. Lula vetoed the law adopted by Brazil's Congress late last year on the third anniversary of major riots by Bolsonaro supporters in the capital Brasilia over his defeat by Lula in the 2022 elections.

Speaking in Brasília on Thursday, Lula said democracy "is not an unshakable achievement" and must be "defended tooth and nail, day after day." Lula called the anniversary a turning point. "January 8th is marked in history as the day of the victory of democracy," he said, marking a triumph "over those who tried to seize power by force, disregarding the popular will expressed at the ballot box."

More than 1,700 lawsuits against participants of the riots

Lula had made no secret of his plan to strike down the legislation, which reduces Bolsonaro's jail sentence for attempting a coup against Lula's government from 27 years to a little over two.

The plot allegedly involved a plan to assassinate Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin and Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes. Prosecutors said the scheme failed because of a lack of support from military leadership. The country's top court says it opened more than 1,700 lawsuits against participants of the riots, including leaders and protesters.

Brazil's conservative-dominated Congress now has the last word and can in turn reject the president's veto, but analysts say that could be a risky move for lawmakers ahead of next October’s general elections. The 80-year-old president is currently a front-runner in a likely battle with Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, one of the former president's sons.

Bolsonaro, who is 70 and who led Brazil from 2019 to 2022, has been serving his sentence since late November. The Supreme Court rejected his appeal to serve his sentence under house arrest, on health grounds. Under current rules, Bolsonaro is expected to serve at least eight years behind bars. Neither the former president nor his lawyers have made comments about Lula’s decision.

Bolsonaro declared healthy following a fall in prison

Just one day before Lula's veto, Bolsonaro was declared healthy after a battery of tests to check him for head injuries following a fall in prison. Doctor Brasil Caiado later told reporters the tests revealed a "mild head injury" but "no intracranial injuries, which is positive." Bolsonaro's medical team determined that he did not require any further "intervention." Bolsonaro had returned to prison on New Year's Day after a week in the hospital following surgery for a groin hernia and a procedure to treat recurring hiccups.

Judges have refused Bolsonaro's requests to serve his prison term under house arrest after he previously took a soldering iron to his ankle monitoring bracelet in what the court saw as an escape attempt.