Brazil's Supreme Court orders house arrest for former President Bolsonaro

Brazil’s Supreme Court on Monday 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.

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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.

Bolsonaro’s lawyers said in a statement that he will appeal the decision. They said his words “good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom” — broadcast from a cell phone of one of his sons during a Sunday protest in Rio de Janeiro — cannot “be regarded as ignoring precautionary measures or as a criminal act.”

The trial of the far-right leader is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% 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 Inacio Lula da Silva.