Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the house arrest for former President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday, on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election — a case that has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration.
He is standing trial over allegations he plotted a coup, which he denies.
The judge in charge of investigating Bolsonaro, Alexandre de Moraes, said the decision was because Bolsonaro had not complied with restraining orders put on him last month, says BBC. In response to the order, Bolsonaro’s legal team denied breaching any restraining order and said they would appeal the ruling, reports news agencies.
In a statement on X, the US state department said it “condemns” the court order and “will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct”.
US President Donald Trump has used Bolsonaro’s trial, which he calls a “witch-hunt”, as a justification for imposing 50% tariffs on some Brazilian goods despite the US having a trade surplus with Brazil.
Moraes, who the US has also sanctioned, said Bolsonaro had used the social networks of his allies including his sons to spread messages that encouraged attacks on the Supreme Court and foreign intervention in the Brazilian judiciary.
On Sunday, pro-Bolsonaro rallies were held in various Brazilian cities. One of his sons, Flávio, who is a senator, briefly put his father on speakerphone to the crowd in Rio de Janeiro. Flávio also reportedly later published a video, which he deleted afterwards, of his father on the other side of the call sending a message to supporters.
Moraes cited the incident in his ruling, saying Bolsonaro “deliberately flouted” previous restrictions, according to local media. “The flagrant disregard for the preventative measures was so obvious that – it bears repeating – the defendant’s own son, senator Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro, decided to delete the post from his Instagram account in order to conceal the legal transgression,” the ruling said.
Moraes also banned Bolsonaro from receiving visits, except from lawyers or people authorised by the Supreme Court, and from using a mobile phone directly or through third parties. “Justice is blind, but it is not foolish,” wrote Moraes, adding that the court “will not allow a defendant to make a fool of it, thinking that he will go unpunished because he has political and economic power”.
These restrictions were imposed because of allegations he was encouraging President Trump to interfere in the case.
Trump and Bolsonaro enjoyed a friendly relationship when their presidencies overlapped, with the pair meeting at the White House in 2019. In a social media post last month, Trump voiced his support for the former president saying Bolsonaro “was not guilty of anything” and praised him as a “strong leader”, and has called the proceedings a “ witch hunt,” triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.