On Monday, Brazil’s Supreme Court mandated house arrest for former President Jair Bolsonaro due to ongoing legal cases connected to his alleged efforts to overturn the 2022 presidential election results.
The case has captivated the nation since it began in 2023, drawing significant international attention, partly because it is under the jurisdiction of a Supreme Court justice who was previously sanctioned by the Trump administration in the U.S.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case, accused Bolsonaro, 70, of violating court-imposed restrictions.
The ruling, initially reported by the Associated Press, stated that Bolsonaro used a Sunday protest in Rio de Janeiro to speak to supporters via a cellphone that belonged to one of his three sons, all of whom are lawmakers.
Brazilian prosecutors claim Bolsonaro spearheaded a coordinated attempt to undermine and eventually overturn the 2022 election results, which included planning violent acts and allegedly plotting an assassination targeting President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and Justice de Moraes. Bolsonaro was narrowly defeated in the election.
In March, a panel of Supreme Court justices accepted these charges and ordered Bolsonaro to face trial. Monday’s decision for house arrest adds to earlier restrictions, including an ankle bracelet, a nighttime curfew, and a travel ban that keep the former president confined to Brasília, despite his significant political ties in Rio de Janeiro.
Bolsonaro, a former army captain and a highly divisive figure, now joins a small but notable group of former Brazilian presidents arrested since the country’s democratic restoration in 1985, a system he often criticized and associated with the military dictatorship he once admired.
Justice de Moraes, defending the court’s decision, wrote: “The judiciary will not allow itself to be mocked. Justice applies equally to everyone. A defendant who knowingly violates precautionary measures—especially for the second time—must face legal consequences.”
Stepheny Price is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business. She covers topics including missing persons, homicides, national crime cases, illegal immigration, and more. Story tips and ideas can be sent to stepheny.price@fox.com
