Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes gave Jair Bolsonaro’s legal team 24 hours from Monday (21) night to explain why the former president violated a court order banning him from using third-party social media accounts to share interviews. Failure to comply could lead to his immediate arrest, Mr. Moraes warned.
The warning came after Bolsonaro gave statements to journalists at the Lower House that were later posted online, in direct violation of an order issued just hours earlier. In the ruling, Justice Moraes prohibited Mr. Bolsonaro’s interviews from being shared on digital platforms, by text, audio, or video, and warned that breaking the ban could result in jail time.
Earlier in the day, Mr. Bolsonaro had canceled an interview. However, he later made a public statement after meeting with opposition lawmakers, during which he showed his ankle monitor and said he was being subjected to “maximum humiliation.”
“I didn’t steal from the public coffers. I didn’t embezzle public funds. I didn’t kill anyone. I didn’t traffic drugs. This is the symbol of maximum humiliation,” Mr. Bolsonaro said, pointing to the ankle monitor he was ordered to wear on Friday.
Justice Moraes said Mr. Bolsonaro had violated the restriction on interviews being shared on third-party social media profiles. “The defense lawyers must provide clarification within 24 hours regarding the violation of the precautionary measures imposed, under penalty of immediate arrest,” the judge said.
Valor contacted Mr. Bolsonaro’s defense team but received no response by press time.
Under investigation
Mr. Bolsonaro is a defendant at the Supreme Court in a case involving an attempted coup. On Friday, he was targeted in another Federal Police operation tied to a separate probe into the activities of his son, federal lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro (Liberal Party–São Paulo), in the United States. As part of that case, Mr. Moraes imposed several restrictions, including a social media ban and the use of an ankle monitor.
The judge clarified that the social media ban includes “broadcasting, rebroadcasting, and sharing of audio, video, or transcripts of interviews on any third-party social media platform.”
Legal experts say the new order supplements existing precautionary measures. The aim is to prevent Mr. Bolsonaro’s statements from serving the interests of other defendants or influencing the investigation.
“Given that the interviews encourage the actions of Bolsonaro’s son and seek to sway the U.S. government, the precautionary measure can be imposed to protect the process and avoid coercion or obstruction,” said Marcelo Neves, a law professor at the University of Brasília.
“A precautionary measure is meant to safeguard the ongoing proceedings. What we’re seeing is a coordinated effort to pressure the Supreme Court, the Federal Police, and the prosecutor general. Since Bolsonaro is the most prominent figure [in this plot], the precautionary measure is clearly essential. If his son were in Brazil, he would also be subject to it,” he added.
Mr. Neves noted that the measure does not prevent news outlets from publishing Mr. Bolsonaro’s interviews, as a violation would require proof that the posts were intended to benefit the former president or disrupt the investigation.
Lawyers consulted by Valor said Justice Moraes concluded that Mr. Bolsonaro was using social media to undermine the judicial process. The goal, they said, is to stop him from bypassing the ban by using others’ accounts to post content that is under investigation.
“He is banned from using social media because the crimes under investigation were partly carried out that way, with posts that encouraged disobedience of court rulings, discredited the electoral system, and promoted contempt for institutions,” said criminal lawyer Thiago Bottino, a professor at FGV Law in Rio.
Additional restrictions
Besides the ankle monitor and social media ban, Mr. Bolsonaro is prohibited from approaching embassies and must observe nighttime house arrest on weekdays, with full house arrest on weekends and holidays. On the same day, a majority of the Supreme Court’s First Panel voted to uphold Justice Moraes’s orders.
Federal Police investigators believe Bolsonaro may have committed obstruction of justice, coercion, and offenses against national sovereignty by pressuring authorities to grant him amnesty. He is already a defendant in the coup plot case before the Supreme Court.
The Liberal Party press conference followed a meeting attended by Mr. Bolsonaro. His son Eduardo was also expected to join but was barred under Friday’s restrictions, which prohibit father-son contact.
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Before Justice Moraes issued the ultimatum, Mr. Bolsonaro allies said their strategy to push back would begin during Congress’s recess and intensify after lawmakers return on August 4. PL lawmakers plan to focus on three fronts: communications, mobilization in Congress, and street demonstrations.
After the recess, lawmakers will resume efforts to pass a bill granting amnesty to those involved in the January 8 riots. PL leader Sóstenes Cavalcante (Rio de Janeiro) said another priority will be advancing Constitutional Amendment Bill 333/17, which eliminates special legal protections for public officials in cases involving common crimes.
Speaking on behalf of opposition senators, Damares Alves (Republicans Party–Federal District) said their sole focus will be to file a motion to impeach Justice Moraes. Bolsonaro-aligned senators plan to push the motion even though they acknowledge it has no chance of advancing.
Also on Monday, the Federal Police announced that a flash drive found hidden in Mr. Bolsonaro’s bathroom during Friday’s search was irrelevant to the investigations. Forensic analysis of the device concluded the same day.
Sources following the case said the finding undermines Mr. Bolsonaro’s claim that the device may have been planted by agents during the search.
Justice Luiz Fux was the only member of the Supreme Court’s First Panel to vote against the measures imposed on Mr. Bolsonaro. The final tally was 4–1.
This article was translated from Valor Econômico using an artificial intelligence tool under the supervision of the Valor International editorial team to ensure accuracy, clarity, and adherence to our editorial standards. Read our Editorial Principles.
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