Brasilia: Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, accusing him of flagrantly violating court-imposed restrictions ahead of his trial over an alleged coup attempt.
The ruling, issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, was swiftly condemned by the United States, which called the move an assault on democratic opposition. The court order comes amid intensifying tensions between the two countries, as Washington last week sanctioned Moraes over his role in the Bolsonaro case.
Moraes’ latest order places Bolsonaro under house arrest in his Brasília mansion, restricts visits to family members and lawyers, and authorizes the seizure of all mobile phones from the property. Visitors are barred from carrying phones, taking photos, or recording videos.
The decision follows Bolsonaro’s participation through a phone call relayed by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, in a large pro-Bolsonaro demonstration on Copacabana beach in Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. Though banned from using social media, Bolsonaro’s voice was broadcast to the crowd, and the footage was briefly posted to Flávio’s Instagram before being deleted.
“There is no doubt the precautionary measure was breached,” Moraes wrote, calling the video’s deletion an attempt to conceal evidence of a court violation. Moraes further accused Bolsonaro of inciting foreign intervention in Brazil’s judiciary, saying the former president had urged a foreign leader to exert pressure on the country’s legal system.
“Bolsonaro has repeated his unlawful conduct in an even more severe and defiant manner,” Moraes wrote, warning of an active attempt to subvert national sovereignty.
Justice Moraes, now a U.S.-sanctioned human rights abuser, continues to use Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy. Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!…
— Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (@WHAAsstSecty) August 5, 2025
The court’s ruling is part of a broader case in which Bolsonaro is accused of leading a conspiracy to overturn the 2022 election results, which saw him defeated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. If convicted, Bolsonaro could face a prison sentence exceeding 40 years. He has already been banned from public office until 2030.
Bolsonaro’s legal team vowed to appeal the ruling, maintaining their client had not violated any judicial order. The US State Department responded sharply, branding Moraes as a sanctioned human rights abuser and accusing him of undermining democracy.
Moraes, in turn, dismissed the US sanctions and Trump’s retaliatory 50 percent tariff on Brazilian goods as illegal and immoral acts orchestrated by Brazilian traitors lobbying foreign powers to obstruct domestic justice.
In Brasília, political tensions are rising. Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters rallied on Sunday outside the Central Bank, expressing solidarity with the former president and gratitude toward Trump.
Security has been ramped up in the capital, with barricades erected around the Supreme Court, Foreign Ministry, and Congress amid fears of unrest.
