Brazil’s Supreme Court ordered the house arrest for former President Jair Bolsonaro, on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election — a case that has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the Trump administration. The latest decision from the top court keeps Bolsonaro under ankle monitoring, allows only family members and lawyers to visit him, and seizes all mobile phones from his home.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case against Bolsonaro before the top court, said in his decision that the 70-year-old former president had violated precautionary measures imposed on him by spreading content through his three lawmaker sons.
The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50 percent 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.
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