Brazil’s Supreme Court on Monday ordered the house arrest of Jair Bolsonaro.
The former president is standing trial for leading a coup attempt after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Why the arrest
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case against Bolsonaro in court, issued the order.
He said in his decision that Bolsonaro had violated the precautionary measures imposed on him in July.
Last month, the Supreme Court ordered that Bolsonaro wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities during the trial.
The far-right leader was also barred from using social media after being accused of trying to disrupt the trial with fiery speeches shared online by his sons and allies.
Under the ban, third parties are barred from sharing his public remarks.
On Sunday, allies of Bolsonaro defied the court order by broadcasting a live call between the 70-year-old and one of his sons at a pro-Bolsonaro rally.
As well as ordering house arrest, this latest order also banned the former president from receiving visits, with exceptions for lawyers and people authorized by the court.
Moraes also ordered the seizure of mobile phones from Bolsonaro’s home.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers said in a statement they would appeal the court’s latest decision, arguing the former president had not violated any court order.
US condemns arrest
The US State Department has condemned the house arrest order, according to Reuters news agency.
It said that Moraes was using Brazilian institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy and added that the US would “hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.”
US President Donald Trump has previously called the trial against Bolsonaro a “witch hunt.”
Trump imposed 50% tariffs on a raft of products imported from Brazil, including coffee, late last week, directly tying these to the Bolsonaro trial.
That is the highest tariff rate Trump has imposed on any country in the world.
The Trump administration has also put sanctions on Moraes under the Global Magnitsky Act, which allows the US to sanction foreigners it considers human rights abusers.
Sunday’s protests
Brazil saw tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters take to the streets of its main cities on Sunday.
The protesters called for an “amnesty” for Bolsonaro and others involved in the alleged coup attempt.
Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brazil’s congress in January 2023 and called for the military to take over the country’s government.
Bolsonaro’s conservative base is supportive of Trump’s pressure campaign on Brazil, and many of the protesters in Sunday’s rallies carried US flags and signs supporting the US president.
Bolsonaro didn’t attend the demonstration in person as although he wasn’t yet under house arrest, he was banned from leaving home on weekends and holidays.
DW
