In São Paulo, Brazil, a rally was held on Sunday where former President Jair Bolsonaro called for an amnesty law aimed at absolving him and his supporters from criminal charges. This law could potentially release dozens who participated in the invasion of Brazil’s congress two years prior, in protest of the election victory by Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Currently, Bolsonaro is embroiled in legal troubles after being accused by Brazilian prosecutors of orchestrating a coup following his defeat to Lula in the October 2022 election. The accusations include plotting with 33 accomplices to harm Lula and eliminate a supreme court judge.
Earlier this year, a group of supreme court judges greenlit the charges, paving the way for a trial where Bolsonaro faces five serious accusations, including attempted coup, engagement in an armed criminal organization, and endangering state properties and cultural sites.
At the rally, Bolsonaro dismissed these accusations, alleging they are driven by political persecution. Addressing a sea of supporters clad in yellow Brazil soccer jerseys on a prominent São Paulo avenue, Bolsonaro expressed confidence in the Brazilian populace and voiced hope that the Congress would back an amnesty law proposed by his allies. “We have a way out of this,” he declared optimistically.
Bolsonaro, known for his right-wing leanings and admiration for former U.S. President Donald Trump, likened his situation to what he described as “lawfare” witnessed in France against far-right leader Marine Le Pen. Recently, Brazil’s electoral court barred him from public office until 2030 for spreading baseless allegations about rigging in the electoral system and tampering with voting machines.
Bolsonaro plans to contest this decision and aims to run in the 2026 presidential election. At the rally, he asserted, “To hold elections in 2026 without Jair Bolsonaro, is to negate democracy,” firmly repeating his commitment to his political future in Brazil.