Brazil: Legal pressure on Bolsonaro mounts despite Trump’s endorsement

Legal pressure has mounted on former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, despite Donald Trump’s campaign to support his far-right ally, in which he threatened to launch a trade war against Brazil.

The judiciary imposed an electronic bracelet on the 70-year-old man, whose statements and movements are restricted and who is being tried for his involvement in an attempted coup against current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and banned him from using social media.

The decision was issued by Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who is handling the legal proceedings against the far-right president, who held power between 2019 and 2022.

The judge justified his decision by saying that Bolsonaro and his son Eduardo were inciting “hostile acts” by the United States against the state and were trying to “obstruct” the trial.

On Friday morning, police raided the former president’s residence in Brasilia and took him to the Ministry of Justice in the capital.

Upon leaving the ministry headquarters, he denounced what he described to journalists as “the ultimate humiliation” after he was placed under an electronic bracelet.

In addition to wearing an electronic bracelet, Jair Bolsonaro is no longer allowed to leave his home between 7 pm and 6 am Monday through Friday, and around the clock on Saturdays, Sundays, and public holidays, according to the court ruling.

He was also banned from “communicating with foreign ambassadors and authorities”.

Bolsonaro denied any intention of fleeing the country, saying, “I’ve never thought of leaving Brazil, and I have never thought of seeking refuge in an embassy”.

These developments come after a trial whose verdict is expected to be issued in a few weeks, amid a diplomatic and trade crisis between Brazil and the United States.

Last week, US President Donald Trump, who has denounced a fierce campaign against his ally Bolsonaro, threatened to impose an additional 50% tariff on Brazil starting in August.

On the other hand, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, denounced the “unacceptable blackmail”.

In a speech broadcast on state television on Thursday evening, he addressed the sovereignty of Latin America’s largest country, threatening to respond in kind, but renewing his call for negotiations.

He described “some Brazilian politicians” who support the American threats as “traitors to the state”.

Bolsonaro was targeted this time for his ties to the White House and the Trump movement, which is being orchestrated by his son, Eduardo, who lives in the United States and is calling on US authorities to impose sanctions on the Brazilian judiciary.

Like his father, Eduardo is under investigation in Brazil on suspicion of obstructing justice in the trial surrounding the attempted coup.

Judge Moraes deemed Jair Bolsonaro and Jair Bolsonaro “inciting, encouraging, and assisting a foreign government to carry out hostile acts against Brazil,” citing the “infringement on the sovereignty” of the state.

Jair Bolsonaro views his trial as a campaign of “political persecution,” as he could face a prison sentence of more than 40 years.

Bolsonaro is barred from running for reelection until 2030 due to misleading information about the electronic voting system used in the 2022 election.

However, he is demanding a general amnesty and hopes to lift the ban on his candidacy so he can run in the 2026 election.

On Friday, President Lula, who previously served as president from 2003 to 2010, reiterated his intention to run for a fourth term.

“I’ll not hand over the country to this group of lunatics,” he said during a public event in the northeast of the country.