Brazil’s Supreme Court rules Jair Bolsonaro must remain jailed for breaking ankle monitor amid coup case

A four-judge panel of Brazil’s Supreme Court on Monday (November 24) unanimously voted to keep former President Jair Bolsonaro in police custody, two days after Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered his arrest citing a flight risk.

Justices Flávio Dino, Cristiano Zanin and Carmen Lúcia joined Moraes in upholding the decision, ending more than 100 days of house arrest for the former leader.

Bolsonaro, 70, is awaiting final appeals against his 27-year prison sentence for plotting a coup after his 2022 election loss to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.

Monitor tampering triggered arrest

Bolsonaro was arrested early Saturday after authorities said he reportedly used a soldering iron to tamper with his court-mandated ankle monitor. The breach occurred just hours before supporters were expected to gather outside his home — a gathering Justice Moraes warned could disrupt police monitoring.

In Sunday testimony, Bolsonaro said he had suffered a “nervous breakdown” caused by a change in medication, leading to “paranoia and hallucination” when he attempted to break the device. He denied any intention to flee.

Justice Dino rejected that argument in his written vote: "The admitted breach of electronic monitoring not only increases the risk of escape but also indicates a blatant violation of the precautionary measures imposed by the Judiciary.”

Judges cite repeated defiance

Moraes, who issued the arrest warrant, wrote that Bolsonaro had shown “repeated non-compliance with precautionary measures” and “evident disrespect to the court,” noting that the former president himself acknowledged tampering with the device.

According to case documents, authorities detected interference with Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor at 12:08 a.m. on Saturday, prompting the arrest order hours later.

From house arrest to police cell

Bolsonaro had been under house arrest since August, following his conviction in September for plotting a coup aimed at overturning his 2022 defeat. He has now been transferred to a special cell at Federal Police headquarters in Brasília.

Doctors and lawyers repeated Bolsonaro’s claim that medication changes led to hallucinations, telling reporters his actions were not an escape attempt.

Political downfall

Bolsonaro’s downfall has been dramatic — from rising to the presidency on anti-establishment rhetoric seven years ago to now facing a lengthy prison sentence.

His conviction stems from investigations into the January 8, 2023 insurrection, when thousands of his supporters stormed federal buildings in Brasília urging the military to overturn Lula’s election victory.