Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court (STF) rejected a petition by Jair Bolsonaro’s legal team to allow Argentine President Javier Milei to visit the former Brazilian leader at his home in Brasília, where he is currently serving house arrest.
Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the ruling. De Moraes serves as the rapporteur in the case in which Bolsonaro was sentenced to 27 years in prison for his role in leading an attempted coup d’état following his 2022 election defeat to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Defense lawyers requested permission for Milei to visit Bolsonaro on July 25 during an upcoming trip to Brazil. The Argentine president is scheduled to attend an official campaign event in São Paulo launching the presidential bid of Flávio Bolsonaro, the former president’s eldest son.
The refusal aligns with an earlier ruling by De Moraes that tightened the terms of Bolsonaro’s house arrest. The court placed a 30-day ban on all social visits, restricting access strictly to medical personnel, physical therapists, and legal counsel. Furthermore, the justice ordered that Bolsonaro may not receive any visitors for political or electoral purposes through the completion of the general elections scheduled for October.
Read more about this topic: Blueprint for a right-wing revival: How Milei’s endorsement fuels Bolsonaro (with video)
The heightened restrictions were triggered after Flávio Bolsonaro published a handwritten letter from his father on social media, in which the former president reiterated support for his son’s candidacy and urged family unity. De Moraes ruled that releasing the letter violated an injunction prohibiting Bolsonaro from using social media directly or indirectly through third parties.
Following the incident, the court initially barred Flávio Bolsonaro from visiting his father for 90 days before extending the restrictions to encompass all political and social visits. In response, Flávio Bolsonaro accused De Moraes of political interference in the election process to benefit political opponents.
The court warned that any further violations of these precautionary measures could result in the immediate revocation of house arrest and a return to prison. Bolsonaro was originally granted house arrest on humanitarian grounds in March after being hospitalized for bronchopneumonia.
The upcoming presidential election on October 4 centers on a contest between Flávio Bolsonaro and incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth non-consecutive term.
