Ban followed Bolsonaro’s political letter supporting son’s campaign
Brazil’s Supreme Court on Saturday rejected a request from former President Jair Bolsonaro to spend Father’s Day with his sons, maintaining a 30-day visit ban imposed after he breached the conditions of his house arrest. The court’s decision, reported by G1, came after Bolsonaro’s defense attorneys argued the visit was a “strictly humanitarian and family-related” request. Father’s Day in Brazil is celebrated on the second Sunday in August.
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest in Brasilia since March due to his health, while serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt. Last month, he was placed under a stricter regimen after breaching the conditions of his house arrest. Under the current restrictions, Bolsonaro is not allowed to receive visits for 30 days, except by his medical and legal teams.
Bolsonaro’s defense attorneys on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court for special permission for the Father’s Day visit, calling it a “strictly humanitarian and family-related” request. In a written submission to the court, the defense argued that the date was “a unique date on the Brazilian calendar, and its observance, even for a brief period and under whatever conditions Your Honor may deem appropriate, would preserve family ties and an important aspect of the relationship between father and children.” Gazeta do Povo reported on the defense’s submission.
But Brazil’s top court on Saturday denied Bolsonaro’s request to host his sons Jair Renan, Carlos, and Flavio. His fourth son, former Rep. Eduardo Bolsonaro, is living in the United States and was not included in the request.
The visit ban stems from broader restrictions imposed by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes. Last month, Moraes barred Bolsonaro from receiving any visits of a “political-electoral” nature until after Brazil’s general elections in October.
The restrictions were imposed after Bolsonaro wrote a political letter in support of his son, Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro, despite his sentence barring him from participating in national politics. The younger Bolsonaro, who disseminated the letter on social media, is running against President Luis Inacio Lula da Silva.
“They took away his freedom,” Flavio Bolsonaro wrote on X. “Now they want to take away even a father’s right to hug his children.”
Bolsonaro’s defense lawyers argued in court that the former president was unaware that his son would share his writing on social media. But the court disagreed.
Moraes wrote in his decision that “the letter — written and personally signed by Jair Messias Bolsonaro — was addressed ‘to the Brazilian people,’ demonstrating that it was not of a private nature but rather intended for political and electoral purposes, with dissemination to the general public, using Flavio Nantes Bolsonaro as an intermediary, or in his own words, as his ‘spokesperson,’” G1 reported.
Moraes added that “the text of the ‘Letter to the Brazilian People,’ therefore, clearly shows that Jair Messias Bolsonaro intended to communicate with his political supporters through his son’s social media accounts,” the justice added.
The restrictions have also barred other visitors. In July, Argentine President Javier Milei visited the country in support of Flavio Bolsonaro’s candidacy, but was denied a visit to the former president.