Brasília (EFE).- Brazilian students marched through the capital on Friday carrying an inflatable effigy of former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro (2019-2022) dressed as a prisoner, a day after the Supreme Court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in jail for leading a coup plot.
The demonstration, organized by the National Union of Students (UNE) and allied social movements, passed near the Esplanade of Ministries, where the country’s main government buildings are located.
“Our feeling today is one of justice. Bolsonaro’s conviction represents our commitment to defending democracy,” Letícia Holanda, UNE’s communications director, told EFE.
The figure of Bolsonaro was displayed atop a truck while students waved flags and chanted slogans against the far-right leader, who has been under house arrest since Aug. 4.
Harshest sentence for ex-president
On Thursday, the Supreme Court’s First Panel convicted Bolsonaro and seven of his allies, including former ministers and military officers, on charges of conspiring to overturn the 2022 election results, which he lost to Brazilian President Luiz Inácio da Silva.
The court handed down sentences ranging from 16 to 27 years.
Bolsonaro, 70, received the harshest penalty for “leading” the scheme to dismantle the judiciary, block Lula’s inauguration, and remain in power by force, according to the ruling.
“Our country has given a lesson in democracy to the world. Here, those who attack democracy must pay and be punished,” Gabriel Souza, of the Socialist Youth Union (UJS), told EFE.
Amnesty debate rejected
Bolsonaro’s imprisonment is not immediate since the ruling can still be appealed.
However, he remains under house arrest for violating restrictions in another case.
Students also rejected a possible amnesty being pushed in Congress by Bolsonaro’s party to benefit him and others convicted for the Jan. 8, 2023, assault on government headquarters in Brasilia.
That day, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalized the offices of the presidency, Congress, and the Supreme Court, seeking to provoke a military intervention against Lula, who had taken office just one week earlier. EFE
cms-am/seo