On the third anniversary of the January 8, 2023, attacks, President Lula fully vetoed the dosimetry bill at a Palácio do Planalto event, confirming earlier indications and rejecting penalty reductions for convicts including Jair Bolsonaro. Opposition vows to override, while a São Paulo rally against the bill saw clashes.
Marking three years since the antidemocratic assaults on Brazil's Three Powers in Brasília, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva announced Thursday a complete veto of the Congress-approved dosimetry bill, which aimed to adjust penalty calculations by not summing sentences for related crimes like coup d'état and violent abolition of the rule of law. The measure would have primarily benefited former President Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years and three months for leading the criminal organization behind the acts.
Lula justified the veto in a speech, lauding the STF: “Perhaps the most compelling proof of Brazil's democratic vigor is the STF's trial of the coup plotters. They all had full right to defense, judged with transparency and impartiality.”
Opposition erupted in response. Deputy Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) decried the convictions as an “injustice” and pledged to overturn the veto: “I actively worked to approve the amnesty bill's urgency... Now Lula vetoes it, and I have no doubt we will overturn this veto in Congress.” Senator Hamilton Mourão (Republicanos) labeled Lula “vindictive,” disregarding congressional support. Deputy Paulinho da Força (Solidariedade-SP) added: “Congress handed Lula the white flag of peace for Brazil. What did he do? Tore it and set it on fire.”
Government sources anticipate a possible override but focus on alliances with congressional leaders like Hugo Motta and Davi Alcolumbre, absent from the event. In São Paulo, a USP rally opposing the bill turned violent, involving former deputy Douglas Garcia and councilor Rubinho Nunes, with chants of “no amnesty.”
Overall, 1,734 individuals were indicted by the PGR for January 8, 810 convicted—including generals like Augusto Heleno and former minister Anderson Torres—with 346 cases pending, many targeting financiers.
