Brazilʼs Supreme Court has ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to be placed under house arrest. He is on trial on charges of plotting a coup dʼétat, which he denies.
This is reported by the BBC.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who investigated Bolsonaroʼs case, said the decision was made after previous bans were violated. He said the former president used the social media of his allies, including his sons, to spread messages that encouraged attacks on the Supreme Court and foreign interference in Brazilʼs judicial system.
Rallies in support of Bolsonaro took place in various Brazilian cities on Sunday. One of his sons, Flavio, who is a senator, briefly turned on a loudspeaker to the crowd in Rio de Janeiro.
Flavio later posted a video of his father sending a message to fans — the video was later deleted.
The former presidentʼs legal team denied violating any restraining orders and said it would appeal the courtʼs decision on house arrest.
The US State Department said it "condemns" the court decision and "will hold accountable all who facilitate and incite the sanctions actions".
The US President Donald Trump has previously used the Bolsonaro trial, which he calls a “witch hunt”, as an excuse to impose 50% tariffs on some Brazilian goods, despite the US having a trade surplus with Brazil. Trump and Bolsonaro were on friendly terms when their terms overlapped, and they met at the White House in 2019.
Washington also imposed sanctions against Judge Moraes, who is handling Bolsonaroʼs case.
- Jair Bolsonaro was the president of Brazil from 2019 to 2023. After he lost the election, his supporters stormed the presidential palace and other government buildings. Bolsonaro was later banned from running for president for eight years.
- He is accused of five crimes, including an alleged attempt to violently abolish the democratic rule of law and an attempted coup dʼétat.
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