- Title: Ex-president Bolsonaro leads thousands of supporters in Rio, demands amnesty
- Date: 16th March 2025
- Summary: TOP VIEW OF THOUSANDS OF SUPPORTERS AT THE RALLY (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FORMER PRESIDENT OF BRAZIL, JAIR BOLSONARO, SAYING: "I am not obsessed with power, I have a passion for my Brazil. If anything cowardly happens to me, keep fighting." (MUTE) DRONE FOOTAGE OF PROTESTERS ON COPACABANA BEACH (MUTE) DRONE SHOT OF BOLSONARO SPEAKING (SOUNDBITE) (Portuguese) FORMER PRESIDE
- Embargoed:
- Keywords: Jair Bolsonaro Rio de Janeiro amnesty coup demonstration plot protest
- Location: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- City: RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL
- Country: Brazil
- Topics: South America / Central America,Government/Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA003924116032025RP1
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro was greeted by thousands of supporters on Rio de Janeiro's Copacabana Beach on Sunday (March 16) calling for his amnesty.
Bolsonaro is facing charges of leading a plot to topple the government and undermine the country's democracy after he lost a 2022 election.
Charges against the former army captain and several key allies will go before a five-judge panel at Brazil's Supreme Court on March 25. If judges agree to hear the trial, Bolsonaro and others will become defendants.
Bolsonaro and his representatives have denied wrongdoing.
In Sunday's demonstration, people demanded a pardon for supporters of the former president, who were accused of ransacking government buildings days after the inauguration of da Silva.
Paulo Kramer, a political scientist who worked on Bolsonaro's 2018 presidential campaign, said the former leader's strategy now relies more than ever on seeking support directly from voters.
The Supreme Court did not respond to a request for comment.
Bolsonaro is also fighting a ruling by Brazil's Superior Electoral Court (TSE), which has barred him from running for public office until 2030. In spite of the ban, he has repeatedly expressed his desire to seek the presidency again in 2026.
(Production: Janaina Quinet, Sergio Queiroz, Renato Spyrro, Nina Lopez) - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2025. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: Audio restrictions: This clip's Audio includes copyrighted material. User is responsible for obtaining additional clearances before publishing the audio contained in this clip.