Brazil court bars Bolsonaro’s son from visiting ex-president for 90 days

Brazil’s top court bars Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting his father for 90 days over a social media post.

Brazil’s Supreme Court has barred presidential candidate Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, for 90 days after ruling that the pair had breached the terms of the former leader’s house arrest.

Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order on Monday after Flavio read a handwritten letter from his father during a social media livestream.

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Jair Bolsonaro – a far-right figure who was found guilty in September 2025 of plotting to overturn the result of the 2022 election that he lost to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva – is prohibited from using social media or communicating through third parties while serving his sentence under house arrest.

The 90-day restriction will remain in place until after the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, scheduled for October 4, preventing Flavio from meeting his father during most of the campaign.

The court also gave Jair Bolsonaro’s lawyers 48 hours to explain whether the former president knew that the letter would be published online.

In the letter, Jair Bolsonaro called on his political allies to set aside their differences and support his son’s presidential campaign.

Flavio, a senator and the leading conservative challenger to Lula, described the decision as “disproportionate” and accused Moraes, the vice president of the Supreme Federal Court of Brazil, of attempting to interfere in the election.

A lawyer for Bolsonaro’s campaign said the ruling was “illegal and unconstitutional”, arguing that it violated Flavio’s rights both as a family member and as one of his father’s lawyers.

Jair Bolsonaro was sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for the election plot. His supporters rioted and stormed government buildings in January 2023, after the elections, in an attempted insurrection. Bolsonaro, who is close to United States President Donald Trump, has never conceded that he lost the 2022 elections, and says that he was denied a fair trial.

However, following his conviction, he was allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest because of health concerns.

The former president remains an influential figure on Brazil’s right and has endorsed his eldest son as his political successor.

Flavio’s campaign has faced setbacks in recent months, including scrutiny over his links to a banker involved in a major financial scandal and a public dispute with his stepmother, former First Lady Michelle Bolsonaro.