After a violation of a circulation: Brazil’s ex-President Bolsonaro has to in house arrest

Brazil’s Oberster Court ordered house arrest for former President Jair Bolsonaro. “There is no doubt that the edition imposed on Jair Messiah Bolsonaro was disregarded,” said judge Alexandre de Moraes. The lawyer hated by the political right in Brazil had prohibited the former head of state the direct and indirect use of social media for his political purposes.

Moraes accuses Bolsonaro of having influenced the political debate in the country specifically through social networks despite judicial bans. With the help of allies – including his three sons represented in parliament – he had content spread content that “stabbed the court for attacks and demanded foreign interventions”.

Bolsonaro has to serve the house arrest at his place of residence, can only be visited by lawyers and nearby relatives and must continue to carry an electronic boast. He also has to hand over all the mobile phones in the household.

The right ex-president must be responsible for his role in an attempted coup d’état after his election defeat in 2022 before the judiciary. On January 8, 2023, followers Bolsonaros stormed the Congress, the Supreme Court and the President Palace in the capital Brasília shortly after today’s head of state Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro insists that he had not been guilty in this context.

Since mid-July, the 70-year-old has been under strict editions, which includes a nightly lock, contact ban to diplomats and the electronic ankle bondage. Most recently, videos were spread that Bolsonaro with his ankle boot showed at a public event in the Brazilian Congress.

Demos in Brazil – Bolsonaro greets via phone

When supporters of Bolsonaros demonstrated in several cities in the country on Sunday and asked for an amnesty for him, his son Flávio Bolsonaro in Rio de Janeiro spoke to the crowd and made his father through loudspeakers to the demonstrators. “Hello, Copacabana. Hello, my Brazil. A hug for everyone. It is about our freedom. We are together,” said Bolsonaro in the short speech. A video that shows the greeting of his followers was published on the Internet and later deleted.

The judiciary evaluates the recent violations as “active political influence” Bolsonaros beyond third parties, which amounts to “bypass of the direct censorship of its own channels”.

Bolsonaro son Flávio: “Officially in a dictatorship”

Bolsonaro’s defense was surprised by the arrangement and announced that it would appeal to appeal. The lawyers said that their client strictly adhered to the judicial requirements – in particular, he was not forbidden to give interviews or speak publicly. The short speech could therefore not be rated as a violation of conditions or as punishable behavior.

In an interview by the news station CNN Brasil, Flávio Bolsonaro described the judge’s decision as evidence that Brazil is now “officially in a dictatorship”. “One person alone decreases the detention of a former president of the Republic – an honest, righteous man,” he said. It is a “broken game” of the judiciary.

US government condemned judge’s decision

Bolsonaro’s legal disputes also have an impact on the political relationship with the United States. The US State Department promptly criticized the house arrest arrangement: judge Moraes abuse Brazilian institutions to suppress the opposition and thus endanger democracy, it said from Washington. The US government will be responsible for supporting sanctioned actions.

US President Donald Trump is considered a supporter of Bolsonaros, who also acquired the nickname “Tropen-Trump” during his previous term. In response to the Brazilian’s criminal prosecution, Trump recently announced punitive tariffs of 40 percent to a variety of products from the South American country.