Bolsonaro ordered to wear ankle tag over fears flight risk concern amid criminal trial

Eduardo, a Brazilian lawmaker living in the United States and closely allied with US President Donald Trump, is facing a separate probe for allegedly coordinating with US authorities to sanction Brazilian officials.

Bolsonaro is currently on trial at Brazil’s Supreme Court over allegations that he attempted to orchestrate a coup to overturn the 2022 election result, which saw him defeated by current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. As per a report by AP, speaking to journalists after putting on the ankle monitor, Bolsonaro said: “It is a supreme humiliation. 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 issued a statement calling Bolsonaro’s treatment “terrible and unjust,” and urged an end to the trial. “This trial should end immediately!” the US President said, claiming he had “strongly voiced” his disapproval through recent tariffs on Brazil.

The Supreme Court’s restrictions are part of a wider investigation into Bolsonaro’s conduct and his alleged attempts to undermine Brazilian democracy. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the lead judge in the case, said the actions of both Bolsonaro and Eduardo amounted to “blatant confessions of criminal conduct,” including coercion, obstruction of investigations, and attacks on national sovereignty.

Eduardo Bolsonaro responded online, saying: “Alexandre de Moraes doubled down,” referring to the court’s latest actions. His brother, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, also criticised the order on X (formerly Twitter): “Prohibiting a father from speaking to his own son is the greatest symbol of the hatred that has consumed Alexandre de Moraes.”

Live footage showed federal police outside Bolsonaro’s residence during the search. Congressman Sóstenes Cavalcante, leader of Bolsonaro’s party in the lower house, said officers also searched the party’s headquarters and called it “another chapter in the persecution of conservatives and right-wing figures” in Brazil.

A lawyer for Bolsonaro has yet to comment.

In a report to the Supreme Court earlier this week, Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet wrote: “The evidence is clear: the defendant acted systematically, throughout his mandate and after his defeat at the polls, to incite insurrection and the destabilisation of the democratic rule of law.”

Bolsonaro has repeatedly dismissed the proceedings as a “witch hunt,” echoing language often used by Trump. Last week, the US president imposed a 50% import tax on Brazilian goods, explicitly linking the tariffs to the trial. Trump previously hosted Bolsonaro at his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2020, when both leaders were still in office.

Despite mounting political pressure, Brazil’s Supreme Court appears unfazed. A court official, speaking anonymously, said some justices had privately agreed that US tariffs would have no bearing on the trial’s outcome. The proceedings are expected to resume between August and September.

(With inputs from Associated Press)