Brazil’s streets have once again become the stage for a battle over the meaning of democracy. Tens of thousands of people marched across the country to reject a proposed constitutional amendment and a fast-tracked amnesty bill that together threaten to unravel hard-won accountability. At the heart of the unrest is former President Jair Bolsonaro, recently convicted of plotting a coup and sentenced to 27 years in prison. His allies in the Brazilian Congress are attempting to shield him – and themselves – under the banner of legislative privilege and political reconciliation.

The proposed measures are alarming in two ways. First, the amnesty bill could spare Mr Bolsonaro and his co-defendants from serving their sentences, despite a Supreme Court finding that they sought to overturn a legitimate election. Secondly, the constitutional amendment would require lawmakers to........

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