Brazil’s Supreme Court orders house arrest for Jair Bolsonaro

Jair Bolsonaro was imprisoned in his home in Brasilia on Monday after Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered house arrest for the former president, in a case involving the latter’s alleged attempt to mount a coup to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election. The judge had already placed an electronic anklet on the far-right politician after determining he was a flight risk. Now, Bolsonaro will not be allowed to leave his home.

In its decision two weeks ago, the court had allowed Bolsonaro to move about freely, but required him to spend nights at home, refrain from contacting foreign ambassadors, and, above all, refrain from posting on social media. Moraes pointed out that the former president had failed to comply with this last point.

“Jair Messias Bolsonaro produced material for social media that contained the same illegal messages for which the precautionary measures had been imposed,“ the judge wrote in his ruling. ”Bolsonaro’s covert involvement clearly demonstrated that he carried on with the illegal conduct of attempting to coerce the Federal Supreme Court and obstruct justice, in flagrant disregard of the precautionary measures previously imposed.”

“Bolsonaro’s political supporters and his sons deliberately used the defendant’s speeches and participation, including by telephone and social media, to spread attacks and incite protesters with the clear intention of pressuring and coercing this Supreme Court,” Moraes’ ruling states.

Bolsonaro is no longer allowed to receive visitors, except for his lawyers or people authorized by the Supreme Court. He is also prohibited from using his cell phone. The judge wants to prevent a repeat of events such as those that occurred last Sunday, when the former president spoke via videoconference with one of his sons, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, during a demonstration in Rio de Janeiro organized to demonstrate popular support for the disgraced former president.

Bolsonaro is accused of leading an attempted coup to cling to power after losing the 2022 elections and prevent Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office. The plan involved assassinating Lula, his vice president Geraldo Alckmin, and Judge Moraes. According to the indictment, the coup failed because the Armed Forces leadership refused to join in. The coup plot culminated, however, in the assault on the headquarters of the executive, legislative, and judicial branches of Brazil.

The trial against Bolsonaro, a retired military officer, has put Brazil in the crosshairs of the United States. U.S. President Donald Trump believes that his friend Bolsonaro is the victim of a “witch hunt” and has decided to punish Lula’s government with 50% tariffs, the highest applied in his trade war against the world. Judge Moraes, 56, has also been a central figure in the conflict. The White House revoked his visa a few days ago and applied the Magnitsky Act, used to punish human rights violators.

The trade war is yielding significant political gains for Lula, who has successfully stirred up nationalist sentiment in Latin America’s largest economy. On Friday, after a long silence, Trump finally said he was willing to negotiate a reduction in tariffs. “He can talk to me anytime he wants. We’ll see what happens, I love the people of Brazil,” he told reporters at the White House. “We have always been open to dialogue,” the Brazilian replied. That conversation has not yet taken place, but it is to be expected that Bolsonaro’s arrest will not help matters.

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