Brazil’s Supreme Court orders house arrest for 10 former Bolsonaro officials convicted in a coup attempt, with travel and communication bans imposed
BRASÍLIA: Brazil’s Supreme Court has ordered house arrest for 10 former officials from Jair Bolsonaro’s government for their roles in an attempted coup.
The individuals were convicted of helping plan the plot, seeking legal justification for it, or spreading disinformation on social media.
A Federal Police statement said the 10 were banned from receiving visits, using social media, or contacting others under investigation.
They were also required to surrender their passports and firearm permits.
The officials had remained at large pending appeals despite their prior convictions.
Bolsonaro’s former international affairs advisor, Filipe Garcia Martins, was among those arrested on Saturday.
His lawyer, Jeffrey Chiquini, questioned the move in a video posted on Instagram.
“Filipe Martins had been wearing an electronic ankle monitor until today and wasn’t allowed to leave his city,” Chiquini said.
Another convict, Silvinei Vasques, was detained in Paraguay on Friday while allegedly attempting to board a flight with false papers.
Paraguayan authorities expelled him and handed him over to Brazilian police.
The Supreme Court, which sentenced Vasques to 24 years and six months in prison, ordered that he be placed in pretrial detention.
In September, the court found Bolsonaro guilty of conspiring to stay in power after losing the 2022 election to Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The former president was handed a 27-year prison sentence.
Another former official convicted in the case is ex-intelligence chief Alexandre Ramagem, who fled to the United States.
The coup failed due to a lack of support from top military brass.
The far-right ex-president has claimed his innocence, alleging persecution by the Supreme Court.
