Brazil's Supreme Federal Court Grants Jair Bolsonaro House Arrest
Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) granted house arrest on Monday to former President Jair Bolsonaro, who had been in pretrial detention since August 2025. The decision, made by a majority vote in the full court, stipulates that Bolsonaro will serve his sentence at his residence in Brasília, wearing an electronic ankle monitor, prohibited from leaving the country, and restricted from contacting third parties involved in the investigations. The defense celebrated the measure as "a first step toward justice," while sectors of Lula's government called it a "judicial scandal."
- Brazil's Supreme Federal Court grants house arrest to Jair Bolsonaro Brasilia, March 23, 2026 – Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF) approved by a majority of 6 votes to 5 the granting of house arrest to former president Jair Bolsonaro Bolsonaro. The decision, made in an extraordinary plenary session this afternoon, revokes the preventive detention order under which he had been held since August 2025 and allows the former president to serve his sentence at his residence in the Jardim Botânico neighborhood of Brasília. According to the court order, Bolsonaro must wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet, cannot leave the country without authorization, is prohibited from holding public events or making political statements, and cannot have contact with others under investigation in the cases involving him (mainly those related to the attempted coup of January 8, 2023, and the alleged scheme to falsify vaccination certificates). Bolsonaro's defense team celebrated the decision as "a step toward justice and respect for due process." Lawyer Fabio Wajngarten declared: “The Supreme Court recognized that pretrial detention was disproportionate and violated fundamental rights.Jair Bolsonaro is innocent, and this is an important partial victory.” Meanwhile, the government of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and sectors of the Workers' Party (PT) harshly criticized the measure. Justice Minister Ricardo Lewandowski called it a “judicial scandal that benefits a coup plotter” and announced that the Executive Branch would consider appeals against the decision.
- PT deputies have already announced they will file an impeachment request against the justices who voted in favor of house arrest. Bolsonaro, who has been in prison for more than seven months, had recently been transferred to a military hospital due to health problems. His medical team argued that prison conditions were aggravating his condition. The Supreme Federal Court's decision comes at a time of high political tension in Brazil, with protests both for and against the former president taking place in several cities across the country.
- The measure does not imply acquittal or the end of the legal proceedings. Bolsonaro remains under investigation in multiple cases and could return to prison if he violates the imposed conditions. However, house arrest allows him to receive controlled visits from family and lawyers, and significantly improves his detention conditions. The news has deeply divided Brazilian society: while Bolsonaro supporters celebrate in the streets with flags and chants of “legend,” opponents denounce the Supreme Court for “giving in to pressure from the right.”
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