Last week, the Chamber of Deputies approved the Dosimetry Bill (PL), which modifies the calculation of sanctions for crimes against the democratic rule of law and, in practice, paves the way for a reduction in the length of detention of former President Jair Bolsonaro and others convicted of attempted coup d’état and the January 8 attacks. The approval of the PL, during a session which lasted until early morning, was obtained with a large majority of votes (291 against 148).
Criticism of the overly harsh sentences applied to some of those convicted on January 8 was legitimate. This was evident in the case of hairdresser Débora Rodrigues dos Santos, sentenced to 14 years in prison for spray-painting the statue in front of the Federal Supreme Court (STF) – she is now under house arrest. But it is essential that mentors, financiers and organizers, even with less severe sanctions, answer for the serious crimes they have committed with sanctions proportional to the seriousness of their actions. Any form of amnesty would be unacceptable. This would incite a coup and constitute an affront to the Constitution. This is why we must now reject the daydreams that surround the Senate – where the project was sent – with the fallacious aim of amnesting the condemned, freeing them from any type of punishment.
Less time in prison: The Chamber approves the dosimetry project and opens the way to reducing the sentences of 8/1 and Bolsonaro
According to the estimates of deputy Paulinho da Força (Solidariedade-SP), rapporteur of the PL, Bolsonaro – since November, imprisoned at the Superintendence of the Federal Police in Brasilia – could only serve two years and three months in a closed regime. The calculation is based on the unification of sentences for the crimes of abolition of the democratic rule of law and attempted coup d’état and the resumption of the regime’s progress after serving one-sixth of the sentence. According to the rapporteur, the total sentence of 27 years and three months could be reduced to around 21 years. The application of the new rules would depend on the assessment of the Supreme Court ministers and would not be done automatically.
- Risk: PL dosimetry allows people convicted of coercion, attacks on sovereignty and means of transport to leave prison more quickly
Other points of the PL Dosimetry deserve the attention of senators. As a GLOBO report showed, the project can benefit people convicted of certain types of crimes that do not involve acts against democracy or the democratic rule of law. Lawyers and members of the public prosecutor’s office say the text allows faster progression of the regime for those found guilty of crimes such as coercion during the process, attacks against means of transport, sovereignty or against the security of public services. Senators must correct these flaws.
In the Senate, the PL must be reported by Senator Espiridião Amin (PP-SC), who has already declared to defend the inclusion of amnesty in the proposal. It is essential to reject such regression and work to fill the other gaps in the text. It would be a shame if they benefited criminals who had nothing to do with the scale of the project. Especially at a time when society, outraged by inaction in the face of violence, is demanding more justice, while the country is discussing changes in legislation to make sanctions against organized crime more severe. Common sense must prevail.
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