The Minister of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil (STF), Alexandre de Moraes, ordered this Monday that former President Jair Bolsonaro be placed under house arrest for"repeated failure to comply with precautionary measures."
Moraes also banned Bolsonaro from receiving visitors, with exceptions for lawyers and court-authorized individuals, and from using a cell phone, either directly or through third parties.
The judge said in his ruling that the right-wing activist had failed to comply with the restraining orders imposed on him last month. Moraes justified the measure based on Bolsonaro's participation, via video, in a demonstration in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, this Sunday.
The video was posted by the senator and son of former president Flávio Bolsonaro, but disappeared hours later. For a group of Supreme Court justices, however, despite the post's deletion, the dissemination of the images was a violation of the restrictions imposed on Bolsonaro as part of the investigation into the attempted coup.
“Acting unlawfully, defendant Jair Messias Bolsonaro addressed protesters gathered in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, intentionally and knowingly producing fabricated material for his supporters to continue their attempts to coerce the Supreme Federal Court and obstruct justice. The phone call with his son, Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro, was posted on Instagram,” Moraes wrote, adding that the participation was “covert” and demonstrated “unlawful conduct.”
In his ruling, De Moraes also ordered the Federal Police to search the former head of state's residence to seize cell phones and other devices that allow him to connect to social media.
The Federal Police confirmed in a statement that they complied with the court's order for house arrest and the seizure of the cell phones on Monday afternoon.
The judge alleged in his ruling that Bolsonaro violated the precautionary measures imposed on him last month, which prohibited him from sending messages through his own or third-party social media accounts and required him to wear an electronic anklet and remain indoors at night and on weekends.
The messages were read at marches held on Sunday by thousands of Bolsonaristas in several cities across the country, where they advocated for the approval of an amnesty for all those accused of coup plotting and expressed support for the sanctions imposed by US President Donald Trump on those responsible for the Bolsonaro trial.
In addition to imposing an additional 50% tariff on some Brazilian products, the elimination of which was conditional on the cessation of the proceedings against Bolsonaro, the Trump administration revoked visas for eight of the eleven members of the Brazilian Supreme Court and ordered the freezing of the assets of Alexandre de Moraes.
The house arrest was ordered as part of the case in which Bolsonaro is accused of leading a plot to prevent the inauguration of progressive Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva as president, who defeated him in the 2022 presidential elections.
According to the Prosecutor's Office, in addition to discussing with his ministers and senior military officials measures to annul the elections and even assassinate Lula, Bolsonaro instigated the assault on the presidential offices, Congress, and the Supreme Court, carried out by thousands of Bolsonaristas on January 8, 2023.
