
Brazil's former President Bolsonaro ordered to wear an electronic ankle monitor, prohibited from leaving the house
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro has been ordered to wear an ankle monitor, authorities said on Friday, in a move he described as "a supreme humiliation." The development came as federal police conducted searches at his home and his party's headquarters in Brasília, in compliance with a Supreme Court order.
The order prohibits Bolsonaro from leaving the house at night, communicate with foreign ambassadors and diplomats or approach embassies. The former president is also barred from using social media or contacting other individuals under investigation by the Supreme Court, including his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian lawmaker who currently lives in the United States and is known for his close ties to U.S. President Donald Trump.
Bolsonaro is currently on trial at the Supreme Court accused of leading an alleged attempt to stage a coup to overturn the 2022 election in which he was defeated by left-wing president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.'It is a supreme humiliation,' Bolsonaro told journalists in Brasilia after putting on the ankle monitoring. 'I never thought about leaving Brazil, I never thought about going to an embassy, but the precautionary measures are because of that.'On Thursday, Trump wrote to Bolsonaro describing his ally's treatment by the Brazilian legal system as terrible and unjust. 'This trial should end immediately!,' the U.S. President said, adding that he 'strongly voiced' his disapproval through his tariff policy.
On Friday, the U.S. State Department announced visa restrictions on Brazilian judicial officials.'President Trump made clear that his administration will hold accountable foreign nationals who are responsible for censorship of protected expression in the United States,' Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement. "Brazilian Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes's political witch hunt against Jair Bolsonaro created a persecution and censorship complex so sweeping that it not only violates basic rights of Brazilians, but also extends beyond Brazil's shores to target Americans.'I have therefore ordered visa revocations for Moraes and his allies on the court, as well as their immediate family members effective immediately,' Rubio said.The Supreme Court's restrictions on Bolsonaro are part of a second investigation against Eduardo for allegedly working with U.S. authorities to impose sanctions against Brazilian officials.Moraes, who is also the rapporteur of the case, said that the former president and his son's recent actions were 'blatant confessions of criminal conduct,' such as coercion during legal proceedings, obstruction of investigations and attacks on national sovereignty.'Alexandre de Moraes doubled down,' Eduardo said on X, mentioning the order to the Supreme Court justice ahead of the criminal cases against his father. His elder brother, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, said on X: 'Prohibiting a father from speaking to his own son is the greatest symbol of the hatred that has consumed Alexandre de Moraes.'Live aerial footage from local broadcasters showed federal police vehicles outside Bolsonaro's residence in Brasília.Congressman Sóstenes Cavalcante, the leader of Bolsonaro's party in the lower house, told The Associated Press that officers also searched Bolsonaro's office at the party's headquarters. He described the operation as 'another chapter in the persecution of conservatives and right-wing figures' in Brazil.A lawyer for Bolsonaro did not immediately respond to a request for comment.On Tuesday, Brazil's Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet said in a report to the Supreme Court that the 'evidence is clear: the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilization of the democratic rule of law.'Bolsonaro has described the trial on X as a 'witch hunt,' echoing a term used by Trump when he came to his South American ally's defense last week.Last week, Trump imposed a 50% import tax on Brazil, directly tying the tariffs to Bolsonaro's trial. The U.S. president has hosted the former Brazilian president at his Mar-a-Lago resort when both were in power in 2020. Trump compared the Brazilian's situation to his own. On Tuesday, speaking to reporters at the White House, Trump repeated the claim that the trial is a 'witch hunt.'A source at Brazil's Supreme Court said some justices have already made it clear among themselves that U.S. tariffs will have no effect on Bolsonaro's trial, which is expected to resume between August and September. The staffer spoke under condition of anonymity as they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


News18
20 minutes ago
- News18
Trump Administration Revokes Visas Of Brazilian Judges Citing ‘Witch-Hunt' Against Bolsonaro
The former President of Brazil is currently facing trial for his involvement in an alleged attempted coup. The United States' administration under President Donald Trump has announced plans to deal with Brazilian judges who ruled against former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro. The US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has stated the administration's decision to revoke the travel visas of the eight judges in an official notice. The restrictions were imposed after the US administration found the judicial members responsible for a 'political witch-hunt" against Bolsonaro. After the notice was issued, it has now become difficult for the eight judges involved in the matter and their immediate family members to travel to the US. The move comes as a strong protest against their treatment of Bolsonaro, who is considered to be an ally of the US President. Rubio, in the official notice, has accused Alexandre de Moraes, a judge at the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court, of creating a sweeping 'persecution and censorship complex," which aims to violate the basic rights of Brazilians, and Americans, in the long run. While Rubio has not named the other judges, a new report by Brazilian daily O Globo has identified the other victims to be Luís Roberto Barroso, José Antonio Dias Toffoli, Cristiano Zanin, Flávio Dino, Cármen Lúcia Antunes Rocha, Luiz Edson Fachin, and Gilmar Ferreira Mendes. The former President of Brazil is currently facing trial for his involvement in an alleged attempted coup in 2022 election. Starting last week, the police have made a move to restrict Bolsonaro from absconding by fitting an electronic tag to him. However, Trump believes that his prosecution is unjust. In a letter sent to Bolsonaro, as per Daily Beast, Trump wrote, 'I have seen the terrible treatment you are receiving at the hands of an unjust system turned against you." Before introducing visa restrictions, Trump had reportedly repeatedly tried to pressure the federal judges in Brazil. In this regard, he also announced on July 9 the imposition of 50% tariffs on all Brazilian imports starting August 1. However, his move triggered anger in the South American country, where the action was described as 'unacceptable blackmail." The current President of Brazil, Lácio Lula da Silva has criticised the actions of the US government. He said, 'Interference in another country's justice system is unacceptable and offends the basic principles of national sovereignty and respect between nations." view comments First Published: July 22, 2025, 20:12 IST Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.


New Indian Express
25 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
Supreme Court says eateries along Kanwar Yatra route must display licence, registration
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking a stay on the recent directive issued by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, mandating all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR codes. A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh directed that hotel and eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra route in the two States must display their licences and registration certificates in accordance with statutory requirements. Refusing to stay the State governments' directives, the apex court was hearing a plea filed by academician Apoorvanand Jha and others. The petitioners had sought directions to halt the implementation of the QR code mandate, citing concerns over privacy and religious profiling. 'We are told that today (Tuesday) is the last day of the yatra. In any case, it is likely to come to an end in the near future. Therefore, at this stage, we would only pass an order that all the respective hotel owners shall comply with the mandate of displaying the licence and the registration certificate as per statutory requirements,' the Bench observed.


New Indian Express
32 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
SC refuses to entertain plea against QR code order for eateries on Kanwar Yatra route
NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday refused to entertain a plea seeking a stay on the recent directive issued by the governments of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, mandating all eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display QR codes. A Bench of Justices M.M. Sundresh and N. Kotiswar Singh directed that hotel and eatery owners along the Kanwar Yatra route in the two States must display their licences and registration certificates in accordance with statutory requirements. Refusing to stay the State governments' directives, the apex court was hearing a plea filed by academician Apoorvanand Jha and others. The petitioners had sought directions to halt the implementation of the QR code mandate, citing concerns over privacy and religious profiling. 'We are told that today (Tuesday) is the last day of the yatra. In any case, it is likely to come to an end in the near future. Therefore, at this stage, we would only pass an order that all the respective hotel owners shall comply with the mandate of displaying the licence and the registration certificate as per statutory requirements,' the Bench observed.