Brazil Supreme Court orders house arrest of former president Bolsonaro
The decision, issued on Monday, comes a day after protests in support of the former far-right president were held across Brazil.
Bolsonaro is accused of seeking to overturn the 2022 election, won by his left-wing opponent, current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The order was issued by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is facing sanctions by the administration of United States President Donald Trump for overseeing the case against Bolsonaro.
Moraes said Bolsonaro had violated precautionary measures imposed by the court restricting the former president's social media use and political messaging.
The prosecution accuses Bolsonaro of leading an armed criminal organisation, attempting to stage a coup and attempting a violent abolition of the democratic rule of law, aggravated damage and deterioration of listed heritage.
A coup conviction carries a sentence of up to 12 years.
The former president's supporters stormed and ransacked the National Congress and other state institutions in January 2023 to reject Lula's victory. After his defeat weeks earlier, Bolsonaro had declined to publicly concede his loss.
Bolsonaro forcefully rejects the allegations against him, describing his prosecution as a witch-hunt.
Moraes said in his decision on Monday that the former president was posting content on the social media channels of his three lawmaker sons.
The judge added that Bolsonaro has spread messages with 'a clear content of encouragement and instigation to attacks against the Supreme Court and a blatant support for foreign intervention in the Brazilian Judiciary'.
In July, Moraes froze the assets of Bolsonaro's son, Eduardo, on suspicion that the funds are being used to lobby the Trump administration against the Brazilian government.
Eduardo lashed out against Moraes, accusing him of acting like a dictator.
'If he thinks this will make me stop, I make it clear: I will not be intimidated, and I will not be silenced. I prepared myself for this moment,' the former president's son said in a social media post last month.
'This is just another demonstration of abuse of power and confirms everything I have been denouncing in Washington and to authorities worldwide.'
The ruling will keep Boslonaro under ankle monitoring and allow only his relatives and lawyers to visit him. All mobile phones from his home will also be seized.
The prosecution of Boslonaro is causing a diplomatic rift between Brazil and the US.
Last month, Trump imposed a 50 percent tariffs on Brazil, directly tying the tariffs to the trial of his fellow right-wing politicians. Then last week, the US administration imposed sanctions against Moraes, which Lula rebuked as 'unacceptable'.
'The Brazilian government stands in solidarity with [Moraes], who is the target of sanctions motivated by the actions of Brazilian politicians who betray our country and our people in defence of their own interests,' Lula said, referring to Bolsonaro.
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