Brazil's Supreme Court has sentenced former President Jair Bolsonaro to house arrest on charges of an alleged coup plot, underscoring the court's determination despite escalating tariffs and sanctions from US President Donald Trump.
Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, the target of U.S. Treasury sanctions last week, issued the arrest warrant against Bolsonaro. His decision cited a failure to comply with restraining orders he had imposed on Bolsonaro for allegedly inciting Trump's interference in the case.
Bolsonaro is on trial before the Supreme Court on charges that he conspired with allies to violently overturn his 2022 election loss to leftist President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Trump has called the case a “witch hunt” and called it the basis for a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods that takes effect on Wednesday.
The US State Department condemned the house arrest order, saying Moraes was using Brazilian institutions to silence the opposition and threaten democracy, adding that the US would "hold accountable all those who aid and abet the sanctioned conduct." It did not provide details, although Trump has said the US could impose even higher tariffs on Brazilian imports.
The order from Moraes also banned Bolsonaro from using a cellphone or receiving visits, except from his lawyers and people authorized by the court. Bolsonaro's lawyers said in a statement they would appeal the decision, arguing that the former president had not violated any court order.
In an interview with Reuters last month, Bolsonaro called Moraes a "dictator" and said the restrictive orders against him were acts of "cowardice." (A2 Televizion)
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