🔗 Share this article

Bolsonaro has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under house arrest.

The one-time leader was convicted of orchestrating a armed takeover in September and handed more than 27 years in incarceration, but he was staying under house arrest pending court reviews.

Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Justice Moraes said the action to imprison the elderly politician was a preventative measure after recent developments emerged.

This involved seeking to disable his electronic bracelet and a invitation to a public vigil that could enable a chance to flee".

Legal Document Reveals Escape Risks

In a document approving the arrest, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking the former president's confinement suggested the one-time head of state's plan to remove the surveillance device to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be "facilitated by the disorder caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His son, Flávio, who holds office as a legislator, called for a meeting of his supporters near his father's house to take place on Saturday evening.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on social media on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your homeland, or watch it all from your mobile device there on your settee? I invite you to fight with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could offer prayers for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Foreign Shelter Risks

Part of the judge's decision was the potential of his "relocation to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of arranging to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document emphasizes that the US embassy in the national capital, the capital city, is located around approximately 13 kilometers from the former president's residence.

Global Responses

Bolsonaro's legal woes have drawn the ire of fellow conservative nationalist American leader Trump, prompting him to implement a half-rate duty on Brazilian product imports.

Bolsonaro is being held in a federal law enforcement building in Brasilia and will experience a custody hearing on the next day.

Recent Judicial Appeals

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to fulfill his full incarceration period under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also petitioned that he be allowed to leave his home for medical care, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other illnesses.

Context of Sentencing

The former president was determined responsible of heading a scheme aimed at retaining his authority after he was defeated in the presidential race to his left-wing rival, Lula.

Supreme Court justices said that he had knowledge of a scheme which included plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, Alckmin, and to imprison and murder Alexandre de Moraes - the High Court judge who has been managing Bolsonaro's trial.

The conspiracy was prevented because it didn't receive the support of the army and air force commanders. The current president was inaugurated without issue on January 1st, 2023.

But a following week, on the eighth of January, thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed and vandalised public facilities in the national capital, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around fifteen hundred individuals were arrested.

The judges found that the demonstrators had been provoked by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the Brazilian military to take action, restore order and reinstate his authority.

At the period, the legal team called the 27 years and three months sentence "absurdly excessive.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - eight years later after the conclusion of his imprisonment.

The ex-leader called the court case a political persecution and said it was designed to prevent him competing in the 2026 presidential election.