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

RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Tens of thousands of Brazilians demonstrated Sunday 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.

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. 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.”

Famed musicians including Caetano Veloso and Gilberto Gil performed in Rio, where the sun was sweltering and the atmosphere both festive and indignant. Many held signs reading “Congress is the enemy of the people.”

“It’s very important that they’re here, encouraging people to hit the streets. But I think we mustn’t come only to sing, we have to come to actually fight,” said Lavinia Scalia, an 18-year-old organizer of student movements.

Paulinho da Força, the sponsor of the bill that passed Wednesday, has said it’s aimed at reconciliation and that if it’s adopted, the right-wing ex-president’s time behind bars could be reduced to two years and four months. But it would need to be sanctioned by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the leftist president has previously said he would veto it.

The legislation would shorten prison sentences for all those convicted — including Bolsonaro — in connection with a riot on Jan. 8, 2023 when Bolsonaro’s supporters invaded government buildings in Brasilia.

Justices said the ex-leader led a criminal organization behind the insurrection, which they said was aimed at overthrowing Lula, who had taken office a week earlier after defeating Bolsonaro in the October 2022 election.

The proposal would reduce Bolsonaro’s prison time by requiring the sentences for two of his convictions to run concurrently rather than consecutively, namely the crimes of attempting a coup and violent overthrow of the rule of law.

The bill also would change conditions for full and partial parole, allowing release from full confinement to day parole after serving one-sixth of the sentence, down from one-fourth currently.

Bolsonaro and his allies had advocated for an amnesty for the former leader, but the legislation passed Wednesday focuses on reduction of sentences rather than an annulment of convictions.

Even this watered-down version is likely to be modified in the Senate following the protests, said Luciana Santana, a politics professor at the Federal University of Alagoas.

“The composition of the Senate, the mobilizations and the fact that the vote in the lower house took place in the early hours of the morning mean the environment in favor of the bill is not as favorable as it was in the lower house,” she said.

International attention to Bolsonaro’s legal woes surged after U.S. President Donald Trump in July imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, citing among other reasons, Bolsonaro’s trial, which he called a witch hunt.

That led to the worst moment in U.S.-Brazil relations in their 200-year history. Relations have since improved, and in October Lula and Trump met in Malaysia.

The U.S. has removed the tariffs on many goods including coffee and beef, and on Friday, the U.S. withdrew Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes from its sanctions list. He had initially been added over his role in leading the trial against Bolsonaro.

Follow the AP’s coverage of Latin America and the Caribbean at https://apnews.com/hub/latin-america

A demonstrator carries a Brazilian flag with the phrase, "Immoral Congress" in Portuguese in front of Congress during a protest against a bill that looks to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro's prison time, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

A demonstrator, center, holds up a sign with "Treacherous rats" written in Portuguese, referring to members of Congress, during a protest against a bill that looks to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro's prison time, in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

Demonstrators protest a bill that looks to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro's prison time, in Rio de Janeiro, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Bruna Prado)

A demonstrator shouts "No amnesty" in Portuguese during a protest against a bill in that looks to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro's prison time, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

Demonstrators protest a bill that looks to reduce former President Jair Bolsonaro's prison time, in Brasilia, Brazil, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. (AP) — Marcus Mariota emerged from the Washington Commanders' first victory celebration since Oct. 5 with a sense of relief. Beating the New York Giants 29-21 on Sunday ended their season-derailing skid at eight games.

“There’s nothing like a winning locker room,” Mariota said. “It’s hard to go two months without winning a football game.”

Now their opponent is stuck with that feeling. The Giants (2-12), who lost their eighth in a row, have not won since Oct. 9.

The only NFL game this week with no playoff implications had a far bigger bearing on draft positioning. The Giants in defeat moved a step closer to the top pick, a last-place finish in the NFC East and potentially front-office changes, with a coaching search already coming.

"I’ve never gone this long without a win in my career," said Giants rookie quarterback Jaxson Dart, who was 20 of 36 for 246 yards with touchdown passes to Tyrone Tracy and Wan'Dale Robinson and a costly interception. “I know that this isn’t going to be the case for the future, and things are going to eventually turn around. I definitely have that in my mind. Obviously, as a team we want to get that switched immediately.”

Players in Washington thought last year was evidence of turning that franchise around, with an improbable run to the conference championship game in quarterback Jayden Daniels' AP Offensive Rookie of the Year season setting expectations high. Instead, Daniels has missed significant time, including sitting out Sunday after aggravating an elbow injury, and the Commanders (4-10) also are playing out the string.

They responded from getting shut out 31-0 at Minnesota last Sunday by Jacory Croskey-Merritt running for a TD and fellow rookie Jaylin Lane returning a punt 63 yards to the end zone.

“The guys, it comes down to effort on that,” said Lane, who got the game ball from coach Dan Quinn and carried it around afterward. “It’s the longest play in football, punt returns, so just shoutout to the guys.”

Mariota connected with top receiver Terry McLaurin on a 51-yard catch-and-run touchdown early in the fourth quarter, and that went a long way toward putting smiles on many faces in the visiting locker room.

“It feels amazing to win a football game,” McLaurin said. “It’s been a long season, but you come out here and you get a win and you really appreciate that feeling.”

Mariota completed only 10 passes on 19 attempts for 211 yards, with a fumble, and Croskey-Merritt had 96 on the ground.

That, along with a defensive effort that included Von Miller sacking Dart to reach 136 1/2 in his career and pass Jared Allen for 12th on the all-time list, turned out to be enough.

“It’s never easy at this point in time with what’s going on in our season, but those guys continue to fight, continue to battle,” Mariota said. “Games like this are never easy. The weather was tough, windy, cold, snowy: So many reasons, so many things for guys to not show up and play, and our guys found a way.”

Dart was escorted off the field by trainers to the sideline and went into the blue medical tent for a concussion evaluation after taking a big hit on a designed run in the fourth. He missed only two plays while getting cleared but did not understand why he was pulled.

“I was definitely surprised,” Dart said. “I didn’t feel like it was that big of a hit at all.”

This was Dart’s second game back after missing the previous two from getting concussed Nov. 9 at Chicago.

Commanders: WR Noah Brown was initially listed as questionable to return because of a back injury, which was changed to ribs when he was ruled out at halftime. ... LT Laremy Tunsil returned after leaving with a back injury, then exited again with an oblique ailment. ... DT Eddie Goldman was evaluated for a concussion.

Giants: Edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux missed a fourth consecutive game because of a shoulder injury.

Commanders: Host the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles on Saturday.

Giants: Host the Minnesota Vikings next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) catches a pass for a touchdown against Washington Commanders middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane (83) celebrates with wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) after returning a punt for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

Washington Commanders running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt (22) is tackled by New York Giants cornerback Andru Phillips (22) as he crosses the goal line for a touchdown during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

New York Giants running back Tyrone Tracy Jr. (29) catches a pass for a touchdown against Washington Commanders middle linebacker Bobby Wagner (54) during the third quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin (17) celebrates with teammates after scoring a touchdown against the New York Giants during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Yuki Iwamura)

Washington Commanders wide receiver Jaylin Lane (83) carries the ball for a touchdown against the New York Giants during the second quarter of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 14, 2025, in East Rutherford, N.J. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)