US condemns house arrest of Brazil’s ex-president Jair Bolsonaro

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered that the former right-wing President Jair Bolsonaro be put under house arrest.

He is standing trial over allegations he plotted a coup, which he denies.

The judge in charge of investigating Bolsonaro, Alexandre de Moraes, said the decision was because Bolsonaro hadn’t complied with restraining orders put on him last month.

In response to the order, Bolsonaro’s legal team denied breaching any restraining order and said they would appeal the ruling, according to Reuters news agency.

In a statement on X, the US state department said it “condemns” the court order and “will hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct”.

Donald Trump has used Bolsonaro’s trial, which he calls a “witch-hunt”, as a justification for imposing 50% tariffs on some Brazilian goods despite the US having a trade surplus with Brazil.

Mr Moraes, who the US has also sanctioned, said Bolsonaro had used the social networks of his allies including his sons to spread messages that encouraged attacks on the Supreme Court and foreign intervention in the Brazilian judiciary.

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”.

Source: BBC

- Agencies