RIO DE JANEIRO: Brazil's far-right former president Jair Bolsonaro, who could face trial for allegedly masterminding an attempted coup, is hoping for a major show of support at a rally in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Bolsonaro, 69, has called for what he claims could be a million of his supporters to demonstrate on Rio's famed Copacabana beach in a show of strength while he plans a comeback in elections next year. "Let's send a message to Brazil and the world," the 69-year-old said.
The rally's stated purpose is to demand amnesty for hundreds convicted over the January 8, 2023 riots in the capital Brasilia, when Bolsonaro backers stormed the presidential palace, Congress and Supreme Court. The demonstrators demanded that the military oust leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who had defeated arch-rival Bolsonaro in the October 2022 elections and had been sworn in just a week earlier. On March 25, Brazil's Supreme Court will consider whether there is sufficient evidence to try Bolsonaro, who risks a prison term of more than 40 years. — AFP
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