Lula is advised to grant clemency and reduce Bolsonaro's sentence
Measure would prevent National Congress from focusing on amnesty bill and would stop crisis with STF
TL;DR
- Associates of President Lula are exploring legal alternatives to shorten Jair Bolsonaro's prison sentence, which is over 27 years for attempted coup.
- The strategy aims to pacify the political scene, prevent amnesty proposals in Congress, and avoid distracting from the executive branch's priorities.
- An additional goal is to disarm opposition attacks against the Supreme Court, specifically impeachment requests targeting Minister Alexandre de Moraes.
- While Lula cannot grant amnesty, the Constitution allows for clemency (indulto), grace (graça), or commutation of sentences for humanitarian reasons.
- These measures would halt the execution of the penalty but not erase the secondary effects of the conviction.
- Another path involves the government filing a Constitutional Declaratory Action to validate a law passed by Congress that reduces sentences for the January 8th defendants, including Bolsonaro.
- This law's effects are currently suspended by Minister Alexandre de Moraes, and any sentence reduction would require dialogue between the Planalto Palace and the Supreme Court.