The president vetoed Bill No. 2,162/2023 regarding the reduction of sentences for people convicted of the anti-democratic acts of January 8, 2023, and the attempted coup d’état.
Popularly known as the “Dosimetry Bill”, Bill No. 2,162/2023 – which provides for the reduction of sentences for people convicted of the anti-democratic acts of January 8, 2023 and the attempted coup d’état – was vetoed in its entirety by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, this Thursday (8), at the end of the Ceremony in Defense of Democracy, at the Planalto Palace. The Bill was approved in December in the plenary sessions of the Chamber and the Senate.
“Democracy is not an unshakeable achievement. It will always be a work in progress, subject to the constant harassment of old and new would-be dictators. Therefore, democracy needs to be cherished and defended tooth and nail, day after day,” Lula stated during the ceremony, before vetoing the “Dosimetry Bill.”
“Today is a day that many people in this country can celebrate. First, for the maintenance of the Democratic Rule of Law. Second, for what we have managed to achieve and put into practice in this country: a policy of social inclusion, which involved all of you,” the president continued.
The president stressed that the importance of democracy goes far beyond the right to vote. “It is necessary to make people aware that democracy is much more than a pretty word in dictionaries. It is more than the duty and the right to vote on election day and then keep the voter registration card for the next four years. Democracy requires the effective participation of society in government decisions. It is also the right to say no. True democracy demands the construction of an increasingly just and less unequal country, with more rights and fewer privileges.”
The ceremony at the Palácio do Planalto was attended by several ministers, authorities, and representatives of civil society. Present at the event and the first to speak, the Minister of Justice and Public Security, Ricardo Lewandowski, reminded attendees that the Constitution is clear regarding the terms proposed in the “Dosimetry Bill”.
“IMPOSSIBLE TO PARDON – It is necessary to emphasize that crimes committed against the Democratic Rule of Law, such as many of those committed in that recent period of January 8th, as stated in the Constitution and in a decision of the Supreme Federal Court, are imprescriptible, incapable of pardon, grace or amnesty, especially when they involve armed civilian and military groups,” pointed out Ricardo Lewandowski.
(Information from the Presidential Palace)
