The supreme court of the federative republic of Brazil has ordered the arrest of the county’s former president Jair Bolsonaro for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his defeat in the 2022 election.
The order gripped the country as it faces a trade war with the united state president Donald Trump.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversees the case against Bolsonaro before the top court, said in his decision that the 70-year-old former president had violated precautionary measures imposed on him by spreading content through his three lawmaker sons.
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Bolsonaro’s lawyers said in a statement that he will appeal the decision.
They said his words “good afternoon, Copacabana, good afternoon my Brazil, a hug to everyone, this is for our freedom” — broadcast from a cell phone of one of his sons during a Sunday protest in Rio de Janeiro — cannot “be regarded as ignoring precautionary measures or as a criminal act.”
Bolsonaro’s trial is receiving renewed attention after U.S. President Donald Trump directly tied a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally’s judicial situation.
Trump has called the proceedings a “ witch hunt,” triggering nationalist reactions from leaders of all branches of power in Brazil, including President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.