The Brazilian Supreme Court placed former President Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest on Monday. Bolsonaro was already wearing an ankle monitor and was prohibited from using social media. The former president is on trial for an attempted coup at the end of 2022.
According to Judge Alexandre de Moraes, Bolsonaro violated the social media ban after messages from him appeared on accounts of his allies on Sunday. His lawyers argue that Bolsonaro cannot be held responsible for this, but the judge disagrees.
The highest judge in Brazil ruled that Bolsonaro may only see his lawyers during his house arrest. For all others, he must request special permission. He is also no longer allowed to use his phone. According to the court, there is a risk that Bolsonaro will move to another country.
The seventy-year-old Bolsonaro is on trial for an attempted coup after he lost the elections at the end of 2022. His supporters then stormed government buildings. According to prosecutors, Bolsonaro was aware of a plan to assassinate leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. He may face a sentence of forty years. Bolsonaro denies this.
Earlier, US President Donald Trump put pressure on Lula to stop the trial. The US president spoke of a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro, a former ally. In July, Trump announced import tariffs of 50 percent on Brazilian goods to put pressure on the Brazilian authorities.