Bolsonaro supporters rally in Brazil as coup trial nears verdict

By Luciana Magalhaes

BRASILIA, Sept 7 (Reuters) - Thousands of supporters of former far-right Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro staged protests across several cities on Sunday, days ahead of the conclusion of his trial for allegedly plotting a coup after losing the 2022 presidential election.

Demonstrators in Brasilia, Rio de Janeiro and Sao Paulo waved Brazilian flags alongside some U.S. flags, in what appeared to be a nod to President Donald Trump, who has called the legal proceedings against Bolsonaro a "witch hunt." Trump also has imposed high tariffs on Brazilian products as well as sanctions on the justices presiding over Bolsonaro's trial.

Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest, is facing criminal charges for attempting to cling to power after losing his reelection bid to leftist leader Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. If convicted, the 70-year-old former army captain, who denies all accusations, could face years in prison.

Brazil's Supreme Court is expected to issue its ruling by Friday.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, the former president's eldest son, told supporters who gathered at Copacabana Beach, in Rio de Janeiro, that his father will face the situation head-on "to demonstrate yet again that he will not give up on Brazil".

"What we call justice today is actually injustice," said 80-year-old Delorges Pavoni, who attended the demonstration in Brasilia, the country's capital, wearing a shirt that read "In 2026, I would only vote for Bolsonaro."

Some critics of Bolsonaro, however, met in a different part of Brasilia, demanding his conviction. "I want to see Bolsonaro in jail," said 59-year-old Laura Lima, who carried a flag bearing messages against the former leader.

The country is also watching leaders of centrist and opposition parties work in Congress on a broad amnesty project for all those involved in the alleged coup plot, including Bolsonaro himself.

"History has already shown that amnesty and forgiveness are the best remedies to pacify the country," said Sao Paulo Governor Tarcisio de Freitas, one of the champions of the amnesty movement, in a recent social media post.

The governor's efforts to advance the amnesty project are widely viewed as a strategic move to secure the former leader's endorsement for a potential run as a right-wing candidate in the 2026 presidential election, a prospect Freitas has so far denied.

On January 8, 2023, supporters of Bolsonaro who refused to accept his election defeat stormed Congress, the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, an action that mimicked the attack on the U.S. Capitol two years earlier.

Bolsonaro has been barred from running for office again until 2030. The former president, however, has consistently expressed his desire to run in the 2026 presidential election.