Brazil’s Supreme Court Places Bolsonaro Under House Arrest Amid Coup Plot Trial

Brazil’s Supreme Court has placed former President Jair Bolsonaro under house arrest as he faces trial over allegations of plotting a coup to overturn the 2022 election results.

The decision, issued Monday by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, comes just one day after nationwide protests in support of the former far-right leader. Police reportedly enforced the order at Bolsonaro’s residence in Brasília on Monday evening, seizing his mobile phone in the process.

The charges against Bolsonaro include leading an armed criminal group, attempting to overthrow the democratic order, and inciting violence against state institutions. If convicted of attempting a coup, he could face up to 12 years in prison.

Bolsonaro’s legal team has said it will appeal the decision, maintaining that the former president has not violated any existing court orders. However, Moraes argued that Bolsonaro breached precautionary restrictions placed on him by continuing to share political content through the social media accounts of his three sons, who are all lawmakers.

The judge said the former president has “spread messages with a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court,” including support for foreign interference in Brazil’s judiciary.

The trial follows the events of January 2023, when Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised key government buildings in Brasília — including the National Congress and Supreme Court — in protest of left-wing President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva’s election victory. Bolsonaro, who had not publicly conceded the election at the time, has repeatedly denied any involvement in the unrest and described the legal proceedings against him as politically motivated.

The court’s actions have drawn criticism from Bolsonaro’s allies, including his son Eduardo Bolsonaro, who called Justice Moraes a “dictator” after the judge froze Eduardo’s assets in July, alleging the funds were being used to lobby the Trump administration against the Brazilian government.

Supporters of the former president gathered outside his residence on Monday night, waving Brazilian flags and chanting in his defence.