Brazil’s High Court Confines Bolsonaro to House Arrest Amid Coup Allegations
Brazil’s Supreme Court mandated house arrest for former President Jair Bolsonaro, who faces trial for allegedly orchestrating a coup to stay in power after losing the 2022 presidential election. The ruling, issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, intensifies a case that has captivated Brazil while straining relations with the United States, particularly due to trade tensions with the Trump administration.
The court’s decision follows accusations that Bolsonaro violated prior judicial restrictions, including a ban on social media use. Moraes stated that Bolsonaro used his sons’ social media accounts to post content, including a speech delivered via phone to supporters at a Rio de Janeiro rally on August 3, 2025. The justice accused Bolsonaro of spreading messages that encouraged attacks on the Supreme Court and sought foreign intervention in Brazil’s judiciary, implicitly referencing support from U.S. President Donald Trump.
Prosecutors allege Bolsonaro led a criminal organization that plotted to overturn the 2022 election results, which saw him narrowly defeated by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The alleged scheme included plans to assassinate Lula and Justice Moraes. The Supreme Court’s latest order builds on previous measures, such as requiring Bolsonaro to wear an ankle monitor and adhere to a curfew. Now, he is confined to his Brasília residence, permitted only visits from family and lawyers, with all mobile phones seized from his home.
The ruling has sparked significant backlash. Bolsonaro’s son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, decried it on X, calling Brazil a “dictatorship” and labeling Moraes’ actions as relentless persecution. Meanwhile, the U.S. State Department condemned the order, with its Bureau of Western Hemisphere Affairs stating on X that it opposes restrictions on Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself publicly. This follows U.S. sanctions on Moraes and a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods, which Trump linked to what he called a “witch hunt” against his ally.
The case has fueled public unrest, with tens of thousands of Bolsonaro supporters protesting in São Paulo and Rio de Janeiro on August 3, 2025, urging Congress to pardon him and others implicated in the January 8, 2023, attack on government buildings in Brasília. As the trial continues, Brazil braces for heightened political and diplomatic tensions.