Brazil, Bolsonaro under house arrest: US protests

In Brazil, Supreme Court judge Alexandre de Moraes placed former president Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest for 'repeated disregard of precautionary measures'. Moraes said the former president had 'ignored and disrespected' the court and justified the measure with Bolsonaro's telephone participation in the demonstration against the Supreme Court and in favour of amnesty that gathered supporters in Copacabana, in Rio's South Zone, on Sunday. This was reported online by the newspaper O Globo. Jair Bolsonaro is on trial for a coup.

The judge also ruled that only Bolsonaro's lawyers will be allowed to visit the former president, ordering that his sons Flávio, Carlos, and Renan Bolsonaro will also have to request permission to visit their father from the South American country's highest legal body. In addition, all authorised visitors 'are expressly forbidden to use mobile phones, take photos or record images' with Bolsonaro, De Moraes wrote in his order, adding that 'Justice is not foolish, much less blind, and cannot allow the ascertainment of such serious facts - such as those that occurred in Brazil between 2022 and 2023 - to be distorted by artificial narratives strategically forged with the aim of manipulating public opinion and delegitimising Brazilian institutions'.

On the other hand, the former president can have contact without De Moraes' authorisation with his wife Michelle Bolsonaro, as she lives in the same house in Brasilia and, a few hours before the house arrest decreed against her husband, categorically ruled out any possibility of her running in the presidential elections to be held in Brazil next year.

Jair Bolsonaro's lawyers have announced they will appeal the Supreme Court decision. According to the defence, Bolsonaro - for whom an electronic bracelet had already been ordered in order to avoid the danger of absconding - had 'strictly' complied with all the precautionary measures envisaged. However, the court claims that the former president violated one of the provisions, namely the ban on the use of his own or third-party social networks: in particular, a video released by his son, Senator Flavio Bolsobaro, in which the former president addressed some supporters. Bolsonaro is under investigation (along with 39 other people) on charges of coup d'état, violent abolition of the democratic rule of law and membership of a criminal organisation; if convicted, the total sentence could exceed 40 years in prison.

The United States condemned the Brazilian Supreme Court's decision. In a post on social media, the US State Department's Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs criticised Judge Alexandre de Moraes' decision. "The judge, now a US-sanctioned human rights violator, continues to use Brazilian institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy," the message read. "Imposing further restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro's ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak! The United States condemns Moraes' order to impose house arrest on Bolsonaro and will hold accountable all those who aid and abet this conduct,' the statement concludes.