Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has asserted that he has been subjected to political persecution since stepping down from office just over a year ago.

Addressing a crowd of tens of thousands of supporters in São Paulo, Bolsonaro denounced the coup allegations leveled against him as a "fabrication." He also called for amnesty for hundreds of his backers who were convicted of assaulting public buildings.

Authorities are investigating whether Bolsonaro incited an unsuccessful coup following his defeat in the 2022 election.

During Sunday's rally in Brazil's largest city, the 68-year-old ex-president rejected the accusations against him as politically motivated. He advocated for turning a page on the past and allowing Brazil to move forward.

In addition, Bolsonaro discussed the upcoming presidential elections in 2026 during his speech. Despite lacking evidence of electoral fraud, Bolsonaro remains ineligible to run for office for eight years due to his efforts to undermine Brazil's electoral system and his unsubstantiated claims of fraud in the last election.

Huge crowds wearing yellow and green - the colors of the Brazilian flag - gathered to hear Mr. Bolsonaro speak. Those I have spoken to say they are here demonstrating for freedom, and in particular freedom of speech.

They criticize what they see as threats to put Mr. Bolsonaro in prison for "saying his opinion".

Several of his supporters at the rally repeated unproven claims that the last election was fraudulent. He had asked them not to bring posters saying this or criticizing institutions like the Supreme Court.

Alexandre França, a 53-year-old commercial director, told the BBC many people gathered for the rally because "we must express what we want for our country.

"Today everyone is afraid of being repressed. So I think we're here to show our faces. We want Brazil for everybody, freedom for everybody," he added.

Rogério Morgado, a 55-year-old military official, was another rally participant interviewed by the BBC. He said: "Brazilian politicians are afraid of people on the streets, it's the only thing that Brazilian politicians are afraid of."

Mr Bolsonaro's speech is being watched closely by the authorities for anything that could be seen as inciting riots or undermining the electoral system.

Earlier this month, the former president had to surrender his passport as he is facing an investigation over the accusations that he tried to overturn the October 2022 election results and pressure military chiefs to join a coup attempt.

After he lost the poll to the left-winger Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, thousands of his supporters stormed government buildings in the capital Brasília - including the presidential palace, the Supreme Court, and Congress - looting and vandalizing the buildings.

Three of Mr Bolsonaro's allies have since been arrested, and the head of his political party has also been detained.

Police accuse them of spreading doubts about the electoral system, which became a rallying cry for his supporters.

This, police argue, set the stage for a potential coup. When it failed to get the support of the armed forces, however, his frustrated supporters stormed Congress, the building housing the Supreme Court and the presidential palace, on 8 January last year.

Mr Bolsonaro was in the US when the attack on Congress happened. He returned to Brazil in March 2023, saying he had nothing to fear.

He remains the most influential figurehead for the right in Brazilian politics.

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