Jair Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a escape threat

placeholder news image

The former Brazilian leader has been detained after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under domestic detention.

The ex-president was convicted of plotting a armed takeover in last fall and given more than over two decades in prison, but he remained under house arrest pending court reviews.

High Court Judge Justice Moraes said the decision to arrest the 70-year-old politician was a precautionary step after recent developments emerged.

This involved attempting to break his electronic bracelet and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a possible escape.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a paperwork permitting the detention, the magistrate said information from the unit overseeing his home detention suggested the former leader's "intention to break the tracking monitor to secure accomplishment in his flight.

This, it said, would be made easier by the confusion caused by the demonstration called by his offspring.

His offspring, Flávio, who serves as a legislator, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

His son wrote on online platforms on last Friday: "Are you going to fight for your country, or see it all from your smartphone there on your couch? I urge you to fight with us."

He said the vigil would be so backers could seek divine intervention for his health and for the reestablishment of democratic governance in our country."

Embassy Asylum Concerns

Part of Justice Moraes's determination was the possibility of the former president's move to foreign missions near the residence, considering that the investigations revealed a history of organizing to seek refuge through a consular facility", a announcement said.

The judicial paperwork highlights that the United States embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is situated around approximately 13 kilometers from his dwelling.

International Reactions

His judicial problems have drawn the ire of fellow populist conservative US President President Trump, leading him to impose a 50% tariff on goods coming from Brazil.

He is being held in a federal law enforcement building in the capital and will have a custody hearing on Sunday.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to complete his entire prison term under domestic detention, with electronic monitoring.

They also petitioned that the former president be allowed to leave his home for medical treatment, saying he needed ongoing care for lung conditions and other ailments.

Background on Conviction

He was found guilty of heading a scheme aimed at maintaining his control after he lost the national vote to his ideological adversary, Lula.

High Court judges said that he had knowledge of a plot which included plans to kill Lula and his running partner, his vice-presidential candidate, and to detain and kill the presiding judge - the Supreme Court justice who has been presiding over his judicial proceedings.

The scheme was thwarted because it didn't receive the backing of the armed forces officials. His successor was inaugurated without incident on 1 January 2023.

But a following week, on 8 January, thousands of his followers stormed and vandalised government buildings in the federal district, the capital city.

The police stepped in and around 1,500 people were taken into custody.

The justices found that the protesters had been encouraged by Bolsonaro whose strategy, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and bring him back to power.

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

He was also prohibited from seeking elected position until 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The former president called the trial a "witch hunt and said it was intended to stop him running in the 2026 presidential election.

Brittany Becker
Brittany Becker

Lena ist eine erfahrene Content-Strategin mit Schwerpunkt auf digitalen Medien und hilft Bloggern, ihre Online-Präsenz zu optimieren.