Brazil placed former president Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest Monday pending his trial for allegedly orchestrating a coup attempt following his election loss in 2022, The Associated Press reported Monday.
Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes — recently sanctioned by the U.S. due to anti-free speech rulings and other alleged abuses — ordered Bolsonaro to remain in his residence in Brasilia, Brazil, and prosecutors also seized the former president’s cell phones, according to the AP. Moraes alleged that Bolsonaro had violated “precautionary measures” put in place by the court by spreading messages to his supporters using his three sons, who are lawmakers in the Brazilian government.
“The flagrant disrespect to the precautionary measures was so obvious that the defendant’s son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, decided to remove the posting in his Instagram profile, with the objective of hiding the legal transgression,” Moraes wrote in his decision, according to an AP translation.
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 U.S. State Department condemned the ruling, saying in an X post Monday that Brazil was silencing political opposition and violating Bolsonaro’s rights. The State Department sanctioned Justice Moraes July 30 for “arbitrary detention involving flagrant denials of fair trial guarantees and violations of the freedom of expression.”
“Justice Moraes, now a U.S.-sanctioned human rights abuser, continues to use Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy,” The State Department’s Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs said on X. “Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak! The United States condemns Moraes’ order imposing house arrest on Bolsonaro and will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.”
Prosecutors alleged Bolsonaro ran a criminal organization to overturn the results of the 2022 election, and that he also planned to kill his left-wing rival, Luiz Inacio Lula de Silva, according to the AP. Lula’s win was controversial given the president’s former criminal convictions for election corruption.
Protests ignited in Brazil’s streets shortly after the 2022 election, culminating in a mob storming the Brazilian congressional building. Bolsonaro is currently still barred from running in the upcoming 2026 election.
The Brazilian Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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