The United States spoke against former President Jair Bolsonaro’s house arrest decision by the Brazil Supreme Court.
According to The Guardian, a Brazilian supreme court judge on Monday, August 4, ordered the former right-wing president to be put under house arrest ahead of his trial over allegedly planning a coup.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes said that Bolsonaro breached the “preventative measures” by using social media. The court last month banned his digital engagement and ordered him to wear an electronic ankle tag.
Moraes wrote that the former military officer used his allies’ social media to share messages of “clear encouragement and incitement to attack the Supreme Federal Court and overt support for foreign intervention in Brazil’s judiciary. There is no doubt the precautionary measure was breached.”
The US immediately “condemned” the top Brazilian court decision and slammed Justice de Moraes.
The US State Department, in a post on X, warned that it will hold accountable all those who are “aiding and abetting sanctioned conduct.”
Criticising the judge, it added, “Justice Moraes, now a US-sanctioned human rights abuser, continues to use Brazil’s institutions to silence opposition and threaten democracy. Putting even more restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s ability to defend himself in public is not a public service. Let Bolsonaro speak!”
The United States last week sanctioned Justice Moraes due to his role in the Bolsonaro case regarding his alleged plot to overturn the 2022 presidential election results.
Furthermore, the federal police have collected all the phones from Bolsonaro’s residence. During the house arrest the former Brazilian will not be allowed to meet anyone except his attorneys and people authorised by the court.
