Bolsonaro taken into custody after being declared a risk of fleeing

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The former Brazilian leader has been taken into custody after authorities determined he posed a concrete flight risk while under home confinement.

The ex-president was found guilty of planning a armed takeover in September and handed more than over two decades in jail, but he remained under home detention pending legal challenges.

High Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes said the move to detain the elderly politician was a safety action after fresh information were revealed.

This included seeking to disable his ankle monitor and a call for a demonstration that could facilitate a potential flight.

Judicial Records Show Escape Concerns

In a document approving the custody, the magistrate said data from the facility tracking Bolsonaro's house arrest suggested the ex-president's aim to disable the electronic ankle bracelet to ensure success in his getaway".

This, it said, would be made easier by the chaos caused by the protest called by his offspring.

His offspring, his son Flávio, who holds office as a congressional representative, called for a gathering of his supporters near the former president's residence to take place on Saturday night.

Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on digital networks on the previous day: Will you battle for your nation, or observe everything from your smartphone there on your couch? I invite you to battle with us."

He said the gathering would be so supporters could seek divine intervention for his well-being and for the restoration of democratic rule in our country."

Diplomatic Refuge Fears

Part of the magistrate's determination was the chance of the former president's "relocation to foreign missions near the home, considering that the inquiries revealed a history of planning to seek refuge through a embassy office", a declaration said.

The legal document underscores that the US embassy in the federal district, Brazil's capital, is positioned around 13km from the former president's residence.

Worldwide Consequences

His judicial problems have provoked anger from fellow populist conservative United States President President Trump, causing him to impose a fifty percent tax on Brazilian product imports.

He is being held in a Federal Police station in the capital and will undergo a imprisonment assessment on the following day.

Recent Legal Requests

It was only on last Friday that the former president's lawyers asked the High Court to allow him to serve his whole jail sentence under house arrest, with digital surveillance.

They also requested that he be authorized to leave his home for healthcare, saying he required ongoing care for lung conditions and other health problems.

Context of Sentencing

Bolsonaro was convicted of heading a scheme aimed at keeping him in power after he lost the 2022 election to his political opponent, President Lula.

High Court judges said that he knew of a scheme which involved plans to assassinate his opponent and his vice-presidential running mate, his vice-presidential candidate, and to imprison and murder the presiding judge - the High Court judge who has been managing his judicial proceedings.

The plot was stopped because it couldn't obtain the endorsement of the army and air force commanders. Lula was sworn in without problem on 1 January 2023.

But a seven days after, on 8 January, many Bolsonaro supporters invaded and destroyed public facilities in the federal district, Brazil's capital.

The security forces intervened and around approximately 1,500 persons were detained.

The magistrates found that the protesters had been provoked by him whose scheme, they said, was for the national armed forces to step in, restore order and return him to office.

At the moment, the legal team called the over 27-year sentence extremely harsh.

He was also prohibited from campaigning for office until the year 2060 - a decade minus two years after the completion of his term.

The ex-leader called the trial a targeted investigation" and said it was aimed at blocking him competing in the next presidential race.

Katelyn Tucker
Katelyn Tucker

Lena Visser is a Dutch fashion journalist and editor with a keen eye for emerging styles and subcultures.

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