A Brazilian judge on Tuesday ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently under house arrest while awaiting the verdict in a coup-plotting trial, to be placed under round-the-clock observation.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes asked police to conduct “full-time surveillance” of the 70-year-old, declaring the far-right populist to be a “flight risk.”
The tightened security comes as the final arguments in the case are expected early next month.
Bolsonaro faces up to 40 years in prison if convicted of plotting to cling to power after losing the 2022 presidential election to Lula da Silva.
He has denied the accusations and claimed he was facing political persecution.
Why is Bolsonaro under close surveillance?
Moraes said that police reinforcement is “appropriate and necessary” as the key phase of the trial approaches.
Explaining his decision, Moraes referred to a campaign being run by Bolsonaro’s son, Eduardo, in the United States, which aims to lobby US authorities to intervene.
“The incessant activities of Eduardo Bolsonaro abroad show that there is a danger that Jair Bolsonaro could flee in order to evade the law,” he said, also pointing to findings in a recent police report in which officers uncovered a draft of a letter from Bolsonaro in 2024 requesting asylum in Argentina.
The Federal Police (PF) informed Minister Alexandre de Moraes that only monitoring with agents inside Jair Bolsonaro’s (PL) residence can ensure effective compliance with the former president’s house arrest.
The PF argued that external surveillance would not be sufficient to prevent a possible escape attempt. “As an alternative to this measure, and as a way to ensure the effectiveness of the measure (maintenance of house arrest), it would be imperative to order a team of police officers to remain inside the residence 24 hours a day,” wrote PF Director Andrei Augusto Passos Rodrigues.
Tense US-Brazil relations
This all comes amid heightened tensions between the US and Brazil.
Earlier on Tuesday, Judge Moraes himself and Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski had their US visas revoked by Washington over the Bolsonaro trial.
President Lula called the visa revocation an “irresponsible gesture” from the US.
“These attitudes are unacceptable, not only against the minister but against all Supreme Court justices, against any Brazilian figure,” he said at a Cabinet meeting.
US President Donald Trump has imposed crippling 50% tariffs on dozens of Brazilian imports, sanctioned Judge Moraes, and called the Bolsonaro trial a “witch hunt.”
Matt Ford is a reporter for DW News and Fact Check
DW
