The Brazilian Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is on trial over an alleged plot to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order Monday, saying Bolsonaro had failed to comply with restrictions previously imposed on him by the court, including use of social media and cell phones.
The order said Bolsonaro recorded speeches to be posted on other users’ social media accounts in which his ankle monitor is visible, which Moraes said defied an order prohibiting “exploitation of interviews or public or private speeches posted on third parties’ social media.”
Bolsonaro will serve house arrest at his residence and will not be allowed to have visitors, except for his attorneys and people authorized by the court. The former president is also prohibited from using a cell phone, directly or through third parties.
Bolsonaro’s eldest son Senator Flavio Bolsonaro criticized the court’s decision, saying on CNN Brasil that his father had never defied a court order.
“We are officially in a dictatorship. This is a sad page in the history of Brazil,” he said.
In February, Jair Bolsonaro was charged in connection with an alleged coup plot to overturn the results of the 2022 election and keep his opponent, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, from taking power. Part of the coup plot, prosecutors allege, involved a plan to potentially assassinate Lula, his vice president and a minister of the Supreme Court.
Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing.
US President Donald Trump, an ally of Bolsonaro, has criticized the trial against the former Brazilian president, calling it “politically motivated.” Last week, he signed executive actions imposing a 50% tariff on Brazil, after threatening to do so if the country did not end the trial against Bolsonaro.
The US has also sanctioned Justice Moraes for what it considers “serious human rights violations,” and announced visa restrictions against him and other court officials over Bolsonaro’s trial.
Lula last week slammed the US for imposing the tariff on Brazilian exports and for sanctioning the Supreme Court justice. He accused the American government of interfering in Brazil’s justice system, a move he called “unacceptable.”
Stefano Pozzebon contributed to this report.
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