Bolsonaro is standing facing trial over allegations he plotted a coup to overthrow Brazil’s current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, which he has denied.
His supporters stormed government buildings on January 8, 2023 – a week after Lula da Silva’s inauguration.
The house arrest ruling was handed down by Alexandre de Moraes, the judge investigating Bolsonaro, after the former president used the social media accounts of his allies to spread messages that encouraged attacks on the Supreme Court and foreign intervention in the law.
He spoke to tens of thousands of protestors in Rio at a pro-Bolsonaro rally on Sunday via a phone call, which his son Flavio put on speaker.
Flavio is also reported to have deleted an Instagram video of his father on the other end of the call.
The Supreme Court’s ruling on the house arrest said: “The flagrant disregard for the preventative measures was so obvious that – it bears repeating – the defendant’s own son, senator Flávio Nantes Bolsonaro, decided to delete the post from his Instagram account in order to conceal the legal transgression.
“Justice is blind, but it is not foolish”, and the court “will not allow a defendant to make a fool of it, thinking that he will go unpunished because he has political and economic power.”
Bolsonaro is banned from receiving visitors, except for lawyers or people authorised by the Supreme Court, and he is not allowed to use a mobile phone directly or through third parties.
His lawyers are challenging the ruling, arguing that the words he spoke to the public, “good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom”, cannot “be regarded as ignoring precautionary measures or as a criminal act.”
The US State Department has condemned the ruling and plans to “hold accountable all those aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct”.
President Donald Trump has previously shown his support for Bolsonaro and said he “was not guilty of anything”.
The Trump administration has placed 50 per cent tariffs on some Brazilian goods as a result of the Bolsonaro trial.
