Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes ordered former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) to be placed under house arrest on Monday (4). According to the judge, the former president violated precautionary measures by appearing in posts, videos, and calls to supporters during the demonstrations on Sunday (3). This was one of the restrictions imposed on him during the investigation into the actions of licensed federal deputy Eduardo Bolsonaro (PL-SP) in the U.S., which involved sanctions against STF justices and attacks against Brazil's government and national sovereignty.
In the decision, Moraes also barred Bolsonaro from receiving visitors—except for lawyers and individuals authorized by the court—and from using cell phones, either directly or through third parties. The justice had already stated that violating the terms of house arrest could lead to the issuance of a preventive detention order.
On July 18, following a Federal Police operation, Moraes imposed precautionary measures on the former president amid investigations into Bolsonaro’s alleged efforts to obstruct legal proceedings in which he is accused of attempting to orchestrate a coup d’état. At that time, Bolsonaro was required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and was prohibited from using social media, including indirectly through allies.
However, on Sunday (3), Bolsonaro appeared in photos and videos posted on social media by his supporters during the demonstrations in his favor. The former president also addressed crowds in São Paulo via a phone call to federal congressman Nikolas Ferreira (PL-MG) and in Rio de Janeiro by calling his son, senator Flávio Bolsonaro (PL-RJ). Flávio even posted a video of the call, which was subsequently deleted. Moraes cited these incidents in his ruling as evidence that Bolsonaro violated the court’s restrictions.
“The covert participation of Jair Messias Bolsonaro, preparing pre-recorded material for dissemination during demonstrations and on social media, clearly demonstrated that he maintained the illicit conduct of attempting to coerce the Supreme Federal Court and obstruct justice, in blatant disregard of the precautionary measures previously imposed,” the minister stated in the ruling.
Misinformation about the case
Since Eduardo moved to the U.S. in February of this year, a series of false and misleading allegations have circulated on social media, with messages inciting attacks on the Supreme Federal Court and advocating for foreign intervention in Brazilian judicial decisions.
The situation worsened when President Donald Trump sent a letter to the Brazilian government announcing 50% tariffs on the country’s products, accusing, among other reasons, the Brazilian state of persecuting Jair Bolsonaro. Subsequently, the U.S. government announced the revocation of visas for most of the court’s justices and the imposition of financial sanctions on Moraes under the Magnitsky Act.
Since then, the former president’s son has acknowledged maintaining “intense dialogue” with officials from the Donald Trump administration, stating that the tariff announcement “confirmed the success of communicating what we have been presenting with seriousness and responsibility.”
According to Eduardo himself, the main goal is to seek broad, general, and unrestricted amnesty for those involved in the January 8 attack in Brasília. This decision would benefit his father, accused of allegedly orchestrating, along with allies, a coup d’état after the 2022 election defeat by supporting the attacks.
Eduardo’s actions prompted the STF to open an inquiry investigating the coordination between father and son with American authorities aimed at pressuring against Bolsonaro’s conviction in the ongoing trial.
Misinformation on social media followed the escalation of the crisis. Below is a timeline of fact-checks about the case so far.
July 18: Moraes imposes precautionary measures against Bolsonaro
Among the measures applied by Moraes were the mandatory use of an electronic ankle monitor, a prohibition on leaving the Brasília jurisdiction, a nightly house arrest, and a ban on using social media, either directly or through third parties.
The Bolsonaro family’s statements and social media posts converged in spreading false allegations about the judicial process and drawing comparisons to Lula’s case, who was imprisoned from April 7, 2018, to November 8, 2019:
- Eduardo Bolsonaro lies and omits facts about his father’s case in an interview with the Inteligência Ltda podcast
The federal deputy made incorrect statements about the case against Jair Bolsonaro for attempted coup d’état, claiming that the Office of the Prosecutor General took eight months to file the accusation, when the actual period was 83 days. He also stated that the Supreme Federal Court did not allow the defense witnesses to be heard, despite all of them being approved, and only six were not heard due to the defense’s own decision. - Video does not show a “blessing” of Bolsonaro’s ankle monitor
A video showing pastors blessing Jair Bolsonaro’s feet was neither recent nor recorded after he began wearing an electronic ankle. The footage, dated April 2024, shows a group of supporters anointing the former president’s feet. - USB drive seized at Bolsonaro’s house did not contain information about Saudi jewels
The Federal Police did not send the STF a USB drive seized at Bolsonaro’s house containing information about Saudi jewels. Misleading posts shared a CNN Brasil report about a different case: a USB drive sent by the Federal Police to the STF in January with information about the sale of jewels Bolsonaro received as gifts from Saudi Arabia during his term. - Lula was also prohibited from giving interviews while imprisoned
When comparing the strictness of justice between Lula and Bolsonaro, social media posts omitted that the president was also prohibited from giving interviews for several months. Lula’s first interview was only authorized by the STF about a year after his imprisonment. - Video of the ‘world’s largest motorcycle rally’ was recorded in 2022, not last Sunday
After precautionary measures were decreed, a video from October 2022 began circulating on social media as if it were recent to create the impression that Bolsonaro supporters were already reacting with large demonstrations. - Trump did not say Bolsonaro is his friend or that he could take him out of Brazil
Social media posts shared a segment from a press conference by Donald Trump with an incorrect translation in the caption, falsely suggesting that the U.S. president said Bolsonaro is his friend and that he could take him out of Brazil whenever he wanted.
July 30: Trump applies the Magnitsky Act against Moraes
The measure sought to freeze assets and block companies linked to the minister that are based in the U.S., while also preventing the magistrate from engaging in transactions with U.S. citizens and corporations. Violations of these sanctions may result in civil or criminal penalties for individuals and businesses, both domestic and foreign.
Before imposing the sanctions, Trump also announced measures against other magistrates, such as visa cancellations, which sparked a wave of misinformation targeting the justices and their families.
- The Magnitsky Act did not target STF President Barroso
Social media posts misled people by claiming that the president of the STF, Justice Luís Roberto Barroso, was sanctioned by the U.S. and, as a result, had lost access to bank accounts, credit cards, and even his Brazilian passport. In reality, the only measure announced against him was the suspension of his U.S. visa, disclosed on July 18. - Video does not show Barroso’s daughter being escorted by police at a U.S. airport
It is also false that Justice Barroso’s daughter was caught leaving a U.S. airport bound for Brazil under police escort. In a statement, the STF said this claim is false and reiterated that Luna resides in Brazil and has not recently been to the United States. - It is false that Barroso’s children were deported from the U.S.
Aos Fatos also verified that the claim that Barroso’s children were on board a U.S. Air Force plane alongside illegal immigrants headed to Manaus (AM) is false. The court stated that the justice’s children were not deported, are not in the U.S., and that there is no official information about visa cancellations. - Video of protest against the STF at the White House was AI-generated
Brazilians and Americans have not recently held a protest against the STF in front of the White House, as social media posts claim. AI generated the viral video circulating online.
August 3: Demonstrations against the STF
Bolsonaro supporters held demonstrations in several Brazilian cities last Sunday. The protests called for amnesty for those imprisoned over the January 8 attacks, the impeachment of Lula and Moraes, and featured signs expressing support for Trump.
On Monday, supporters of the former president began sharing old videos to exaggerate the size of the protests. At the same time, opponents posted out-of-context footage to downplay the level of participation.
- Picture of sparse protest in Copacabana is from March, not recent
A photo showing a small pro-Bolsonaro demonstration in Copacabana, Rio de Janeiro, was not taken on Sunday (3). The original image was captured during a protest in March. - Video showing packed Esplanada dos Ministérios is from 2022, not recent
Posts are also misleading by sharing a video showing a crowd dressed in green and yellow at the Esplanada dos Ministérios in Brasília, as if it were recorded last Sunday. The footage was actually taken during a protest in the capital on September 7, 2022. - September 2022 footage shared as if it showed a recent protest in Brasília
Another video showing the Esplanada dos Ministérios packed with people was also not recorded on Sunday. It was filmed during a demonstration on September 7, 2022.
The reporting process
Aos Fatos obtained access to Moraes’ ruling issued on Monday (4) and compiled details on what prompted the decision to place Bolsonaro under house arrest.
We also compiled all the misinformation fact-checked about the case—from the moment the former president was ordered to wear an ankle monitor to the present—covering the entire escalation of the crisis involving Brazil's Supreme Court justices, the Brazilian government, and U.S. President Donald Trump.
