Bolsonaro shows off his electronic ankle bracelet and says it's a 'huge humiliation'

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BRASÍLIA - The defense of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) provided clarification this Tuesday, 22, after the minister of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) Alexandre de Moraes spoke about the risk of arrest for non-compliance with precautionary measures and claimed not to have knowledge that he was prohibited from giving interviews.

The former president's lawyers maintain that he did not disobey the minister's orders and promised that Bolsonaro will remain silent, without making"any statement" about the case.

“It should be clarified that the Appellant (Jair Bolsonaro) did not fail to comply with the order and never intended to do so, so much so that he has been strictly observing the collection rules imposed by this Court,” wrote the former president’s defense.

Bolsonaro visited the Chamber of Deputies on Monday afternoon, the 21st, and upon leaving, he showed reporters the electronic ankle bracelet he has been wearing since last week as part of the precautionary measures imposed by Moraes. The former president declared that the device symbolized"the ultimate humiliation."

Moraes imposed Bolsonaro's precautionary measures last Friday, the 18th, and supplemented the decision with an order issued yesterday. The minister stated that the ban on social media use included,"obviously, the transmission, retransmission, or posting of audio, video, or interview transcripts on any third-party social media platforms."

Bolsonaro, in turn, claims that he “never considered that he was prohibited from giving interviews, which can be replicated on social media.”

Bolsonaro's lawyers argue that he cannot be held liable for the conduct of third parties who posted his actions on social media."Such acts do not involve the direct or indirect participation of the interviewee, who cannot be punished for the actions of third parties," he stated.

“After all, if the prohibition involves the transmission or transcription of interviews, the Appellant, in practice, is prohibited from granting them, since no one has control over the form of their dissemination, except, and only initially, the journalist himself,” they argued.

The method chosen by Bolsonaro's defense to respond to Moraes regarding the alleged non-compliance with precautionary measures was through the filing of a statement of clarification, a type of legal instrument in which the party requests clarification from the judge on aspects of a given decision.

Bolsonaro, therefore, reversed Moraes' decision and asked the minister to explain the scope of his order. The former president's defense assured that,"in absolute respect for the Supreme Court's decision," he "will not make any statement until the clarification is provided."

Bolsonaro's legal team's interpretation is that "such a decision, with all due respect, goes far beyond prohibiting the use of social media." "Yes, because the first decision never considered 'broadcasts, retransmissions, or broadcasting of audio, video, or transcripts of interviews on any third-party social media platforms,'" the defense argued.

“It is well known that the replication of statements by third parties on social media constitutes an uncontrollable development of contemporary digital communication dynamics and, therefore, is beyond the will or interference of the Appellant,” the lawyers continued.

The former president attended the headquarters of the Liberal Party (PL) this Tuesday, 22. Upon leaving the building, in the center of Brasília, Bolsonaro refused to answer questions from journalists who were waiting for him in the building's garage.