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Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly failing to comply with a precautionary court order instructing him not to post on social media ahead of his upcoming trial.
Bolsonaro is on trial for allegedly plotting a coup to remain in office following the 2022 election.
The former president denies the allegations.
The judge overseeing the case alleged that Bolsonaro violated the precautionary measures by spreading content through his lawmaker sons.
Tensions between Brazil and the United States could potentially escalate after the order against the Trump ally.
BREAKING: Brazil’s Supreme Court issued a house arrest order for former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is standing trial for allegedly plotting a coup, in a move that could escalate tensions with the US Trump administration https://t.co/C97m2TUIIK
— Reuters (@Reuters) August 4, 2025
More from the Associated Press:
Bolsonaro’s lawyers said in a statement that he will appeal the decision. They said his words “good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom” — broadcast from a cell phone of one of his sons during a Sunday protest in Rio de Janeiro — cannot “be regarded as ignoring precautionary measures or as a criminal act.”
The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally’s judicial situation. Trump has called the proceedings a “ witch hunt,” triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Brazil’s prosecutors accuse Bolsonaro of heading a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the election, including plans to kill Lula and Justice de Moraes after the far-right leader narrowly lost his reelection bid in 2022.
Monday’s order followed one from the top court last month that ordered Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor and imposed a curfew on his activities while the proceedings are underway.
Following news of the arrest order, a staffer with Brazil’s federal police told The Associated Press that federal agents had seized cell phones at Bolsonaro’s residence in the capital of Brasilia, as ordered by de Moraes in his decision. The staffer spoke on condition of anonymity due to their lack of authorization to speak about the matter publicly.
“Justice Moraes, now a U.S.-sanctioned human rights abuser, continues to use Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy. Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!” the U.S. Department of State said in a statement.
“The United States condemns Moraes’ order imposing house arrest on Bolsonaro and will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct,” it added.
Justice Moraes, now a U.S.-sanctioned human rights abuser, continues to use Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy. Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!…
— Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs (@WHAAsstSecty) August 5, 2025
BBC has more:
On Sunday, pro-Bolsonaro rallies were held in various Brazilian cities. One of his sons, Flávio, who is a senator, briefly put his father on speakerphone to the crowd in Rio de Janeiro.
Flávio also reportedly later published a video, which he deleted afterwards, of his father on the other side of the call sending a message to supporters.
Mr Moraes cited the incident in his ruling, saying Bolsonaro “deliberately flouted” previous restrictions, according to local media.
“The flagrant disregard for the preventative measures was so obvious that – it bears repeating – the defendant’s own son, senator Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro, decided to delete the post from his Instagram account in order to conceal the legal transgression,” the ruling said.
Mr Moraes also banned Bolsonaro from receiving visits, except from lawyers or people authorised by the Supreme Court, and from using a mobile phone directly or through third parties.
“Justice is blind, but it is not foolish,” wrote Mr Moraes, adding that the court “will not allow a defendant to make a fool of it, thinking that he will go unpunished because he has political and economic power”.
These restrictions were imposed because of allegations he was encouraging Donald Trump to interfere in the case.
Trump and Bolsonaro enjoyed a friendly relationship when their presidencies overlapped, with the pair meeting at the White House in 2019.
In a social media post last month, Trump voiced his support for the former president saying Bolsonaro “was not guilty of anything” and praised him as a “strong leader” who “truly loved his country”.