Brazil's Supreme Court has barred Flavio Bolsonaro, a senator and leading conservative presidential candidate, from visiting his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, for 90 days after ruling that the pair had violated the terms of the elder Bolsonaro's house arrest. Justice Alexandre de Moraes, vice president of Brazil's Supreme Federal Tribunal, issued the order on Monday after Flavio read a handwritten letter from his father during a YouTube livestream at the weekend.
Jair Bolsonaro, 71, is currently serving a sentence of more than 27 years for plotting to overturn the result of the 2022 presidential election, which he lost to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. His supporters stormed government buildings in Brasília in January 2023 in what authorities described as an attempted insurrection. The far-right former leader, who spent several months in detention before being permitted to serve his sentence at his home in Brasília on health grounds, is prohibited from using social media or communicating through third parties. Justice Moraes concluded that by reading his father's letter on a public livestream, Flavio had breached that restriction and was, in the judge's words, a repeat offender in failing to comply with court rulings. Bolsonaro's lawyers were given 48 hours to explain whether the former president was aware that the letter would be published online.
In the letter, Jair Bolsonaro urged political allies to set aside internal differences and unite behind his eldest son's campaign. The appeal reflects growing tensions within the Brazilian right: former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro, a prominent conservative figure, publicly aired grievances against Flavio last month in two lengthy videos, accusing him of humiliating her during disputes over party candidates. Flavio's campaign has also faced scrutiny over his ties to a banker linked to a major financial scandal.
The 90-day visiting ban will expire only after the first round of Brazil's presidential election, scheduled for 4 October, effectively preventing father and son from meeting throughout the core campaign period. Flavio denounced the ruling as