In a dramatic turn in Brazil’s ongoing political reckoning, the country’s Supreme Court has ordered former president Jair Bolsonaro to wear an electronic monitoring device while awaiting judgment in his coup plot trial.
The ruling came from Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Friday, who accused Bolsonaro and his son, Eduardo, of provoking “hostile acts” against the nation. De Moraes, a longstanding critic of the far-right leader, is overseeing the case as it enters its final stages.
Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro conspired to overturn the results of Brazil’s 2022 election, which brought President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to power, in a desperate attempt to remain in office.
Reacting to the court’s decision, Bolsonaro decried the order as a “supreme humiliation,” further intensifying his defiance amid growing legal challenges.
The high-profile trial has reopened deep wounds in Brazil, a country still shadowed by memories of its military dictatorship that ended nearly four decades ago. Now, the proceedings are escalating beyond domestic borders, with tensions rising between Brasilia and Washington. US President Donald Trump has introduced trade tariffs in an apparent bid to pressure Brazilian authorities into dropping the case – a move that has added a complex geopolitical dimension to Bolsonaro’s legal battle.
Prosecutors say Bolsonaro’s 2022 plot failed only because the military did not side with him.
Violent supporters then rioted, rampaging through government buildings in the capital, Brasilia in scenes that echoed the assault on the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters after the Republican lost to Democrat Joe Biden in 2020.
On Tuesday, the prosecution told the top court that former army officer Bolsonaro and seven others were guilty of participating in “armed criminal association” and had sought to “violently overthrow the democratic order”.
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A five-justice panel is now set to decide the fate of the former president.
If found guilty, Bolsonaro and his co-defendants could face up to 40 years in prison.
Trump has repeatedly called on social media for Bolsonaro’s “witch hunt” trial to be halted.
On Thursday, Trump published a letter addressed to Bolsonaro saying that “the trial should end immediately!” and calling the right-wing leader “highly respected”.
On July 9, Trump ramped up his pressure campaign by announcing plans to tariff Brazilian imports to the United States at 50 per cent.
Washington also says it is opening an investigation into “unfair trading practices” by Brazil, a move that could provide a legal basis to justify imposing tariffs on South America’s largest economy.
President Donald Trump has unveiled a fresh wave of tariffs against Brazil, this time cloaked in stark political messaging rather than standard trade rhetoric.
Set to take effect on August 1, the tariffs were announced with Trump accusing Brazil of mounting “insidious attacks on Free Elections,” a sharp departure from his usual economic justifications applied to tariff measures on allies and rivals alike.
The US president warned that Brazil could face even harsher penalties if it dares to counter the move. President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, however, dismissed the threat outright, labelling it “unacceptable blackmail” and vowing that Brazil would not be intimidated into submission.
“Brazil belongs to its people, and no one else,” Lula declared defiantly on Thursday, making it clear that his government intends to stand its ground as tensions with Washington continue to escalate.