Jair Bolsonaro arrested, former Brazilian president placed under house arrest on trial for attempted coup against Lula

Jair Bolsonaro , Brazil's former president and far-right leader, has been placed under house arrest . This was ruled by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes , who oversees all the country's most important cases, particularly those related to the attempted coup orchestrated by Bolsonaro himself after his defeat in the 2022 presidential election against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva .

Judge de Moraes's decision is based on the violation of the restrictive measures imposed against the former president as part of the ongoing trial against him for the attempted coup: the Brazilian far-right leader had been banned from using social networks , placed on an electronic bracelet , and prohibited from receiving visits other than those of his lawyers or persons authorized by the court.

According to de Moraes' investigation, Bolsonaro apparently participated virtually in a protest against the Supreme Court in Rio de Janeiro, maintaining contact with other suspects in the investigation, including his son Eduardo.

In the arrest warrant, the judge writes that "acting unlawfully, the defendant Jair Bolsonaro addressed the protesters gathered in Copacabana, Rio, maliciously and knowingly producing prefabricated material so that his supporters would continue to try to put pressure on the Supreme Court and obstruct justice, so much so that the phone call with his son, Flávio, was published on the Instagram platform."

The U.S. State Department condemned the Supreme Court's order , accusing de Moraes of "stifling political opposition" and violating fundamental rights. The White House's interference is nothing new: the Trump administration recently sanctioned Judge de Moraes in political retaliation for Bolsonaro's trial and threatened 50% tariffs against Brazil for the investigation into the former president, which Trump, his close friend, called a "witch hunt."

The Supreme Court judge, who has threatened to jail Bolsonaro if he violates its provisions again, accuses the former Brazilian president of plotting a coup, encouraging his supporters to storm the seats of power in the capital Brasilia on January 8, 2023, and plotting the assassination of three of his political opponents, including President Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Judge de Moraes himself.

Already ineligible until 2030 for his attacks on the reliability of electronic ballot boxes, the former president now awaits the outcome of his legal fate, which will be decided in a few weeks.