SAO PAULO, Brazil: Over the weekend, thousands of Brazilians took to the streets in major cities to protest against a move by the country's lawmakers to reduce the jail sentence of former President Jair Bolsonaro and his supporters.

Bolsonaro and his supporters were pronounced guilty in September this year and sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempting to end democracy by storming government buildings after he lost his 2022 reelection bid.

The demonstrations were organized by social groups, artists, and political parties. They denounced lawmakers for trying to soften the punishment for the former president.

It was the first significant demonstration since Bolsonaro began serving his prison sentence last month in a cell made for him at a federal police building in Brasilia, the capital.

According to researchers from the University of São Paulo, about 15,000 people gathered in São Paulo, Brazil's biggest city, a smaller showing than a similar protest in September.

Last week, a conservative majority in the lower house of Congress voted to pass a bill that could cut Bolsonaro's sentence to just over two years, according to its sponsor. The bill is up for consideration by the Senate.

Claudio Pfeil, a teacher who was among an estimated 20,000 protesters on Copacabana Beach in Rio de Janeiro, said he was demonstrating to show that Brazilians will not accept leniency for those who tried to undermine democracy.

The protest was led by well-known Brazilian singers, including 83-year-old Caetano Veloso, famous for opposing Brazil's military dictatorship in the 1970s.

The Supreme Court's conviction of Bolsonaro and his allies in the government and armed forces marked the first time Brazil has punished military officers for trying to overthrow democracy, in a country with a history marked by violent coups.

The bill would also reduce penalties for Bolsonaro's supporters who took part in the 2023 storming of government buildings in Brasília. Bolsonaro, now 70, would still be barred from holding office for another three decades.

Leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who defeated Bolsonaro in the 2022 election and plans to seek reelection next year, is expected to veto the bill if it passes the Senate. Congress could override a veto; however, a move likely to spark legal challenges in the Supreme Court.