Bolsonaro Placed Under House Arrest Amid US-Brazil Tensions Over Trial

By Staff, Agencies

Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered the house arrest of former President Jair Bolsonaro as part of an ongoing trial over his alleged efforts to overturn the 2022 election results.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes also barred Bolsonaro from using cell phones or receiving visitors beyond his legal team.

The decision follows accusations that Bolsonaro violated previous judicial restrictions by using his sons’ social media accounts to incite attacks on the judiciary and call for foreign intervention.

The case has sparked tensions with the United States. US President Donald Trump denounced the trial as a “witch hunt” and responded by slapping a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods—the steepest currently imposed by Washington.

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva condemned the move, accusing the US of meddling in domestic affairs under the guise of human rights.

Speaking in Brasilia, Lula warned that Washington seeks to dominate weaker nations through bilateral pressure rather than multilateral cooperation.

He stressed that Brazil will negotiate with the US only on “equal terms” and rejected continued dependence on the dollar.

Trump has also threatened further tariffs against BRICS members, accusing the bloc of trying to undermine the dollar’s global status—a claim BRICS leaders reject, pointing instead to US policies as the real source of instability.