Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has suspended a law that could significantly reduce the prison sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro for his alleged involvement in a coup plot following his 2022 election loss.

De Moraes ordered the law's suspension on Saturday until the full court can hear appeals challenging its constitutionality. The law, passed by Brazil's conservative-majority Congress in December, would apply to Bolsonaro and others convicted in the plot.

Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison in September. His lawyers filed a new appeal on Friday, calling the conviction a 'miscarriage of justice.' Allies decry the case as a political witch-hunt, while opponents see it as necessary accountability.

President Lula vetoed the bill in January, but Congress overrode the veto in April. The Supreme Court's decision on the law's constitutionality is pending, with individual sentence reduction requests now suspended.

Source: www.aljazeera.com