Brazilians protest a bill that would reduce former President Bolsonaro’s time in jail

Tens of thousands of Brazilians demonstrated Sunday (December 14, 2025) against a bill that advanced in Congress this week, which would reduce the time former President Jair Bolsonaro spends behind bars following his sentence of more than 27 years for attempting a coup.

Protests took place in the capital, Brasilia and in other major cities across the country, including Sao Paulo, Florianopolis, Salvador and Recife.

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On Copacabana’s boardwalk in Rio de Janeiro, crowds composed of left-wing voters chanted “No amnesty” and “Out with Hugo Motta,” a reference to the speaker of the lower house, which approved the bill on Wednesday (December 10). It is now with the Senate.

“It’s an attempt to protect those who tried to attempt a coup,” said Antonio Edson Lima de Oliveira, a 56-year-old geologist who was at the protest in Rio. “Brazil has already had several dictatorships and they were awful for the country. We never want it to happen again.”