Brazil's Supreme Court orders house arrest for former President Jair Bolsonaro

Published at: 04/08/2025 06:21 PM

The Supreme Federal Court (STF) of Brazil issued a house arrest warrant for former President Jair Bolsonaro on Monday, August 4, according to a court decision cited by the local press, the Russia Today website reported.

The STF judge, Alexandre de Moraes, justified the decision by stating that Bolsonaro did not respect the precautionary measures he imposed on him after posting content on the social networks of his children, who are also politicians.

“There is no doubt that the precautionary measure imposed on Jair Messias Bolsonaro was not complied with,” said Moraes, who is leading the trial against the former presidential candidate for his alleged link with the coup attempt in 2023.

The magistrate banned him from having visitors in his home, with the exception of his lawyers and close family members.

He also ordered that they take all the cell phones that were in the house, for which the Federal Police carried out a search.

“It is unacceptable for a former head of state to use his political influence to question judicial decisions and promote institutional disorder,” he said.

He stressed that “the conduct observed here highlights the urgent need for more severe measures to preserve public order and the authority of the Judiciary.”

For the same reason, violating precautionary measures when using social networks, Moraes ruled out preventive detention last month. At the time, he considered it an “isolated irregularity”.

The Brazilian judiciary, and in particular Alexandre de Moraes, is under threat from the United States government, which has officially declared that Bolsonaro is under a “witch hunt”.

For his part, US President Donald Trump authorized one of the biggest tariff increases on his list: 50% on Brazilian imports that arrive in his country.

While the Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) of the Department of the Treasury included Moraes on the “list of specially designated nationals”, also known as the “SDN list” of sanctioned persons.

The STF has repudiated Washington's warnings and has stated that it will keep the process unaffected.

The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic has requested up to 43 years in prison against Bolsonaro for the alleged crimes of attempted coup, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and criminal organization.

Mazo News Team