SAO PAULO — A Brazilian Supreme Court justice has issued a 90-day ban preventing Senator Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting his father, former president Jair Bolsonaro, according to a court ruling released Monday.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order after determining that a letter penned by the former president — which the senator then posted on social media over the weekend — violated the conditions of Jair Bolsonaro’s house arrest. Those conditions include a prohibition on using social media, either personally or through someone else acting on his behalf.
The timing could prove damaging to Senator Bolsonaro’s political ambitions. The senator has been positioning himself as a presidential candidate to challenge President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in Brazil’s upcoming election, with the first round set for October 4 and a possible runoff on October 25.
The letter from the former president was written against a backdrop of tension between Senator Bolsonaro and his stepmother, former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro. In the letter, the ex-president called on family members to move past their differences, writing that it was time “to set aside any differences, and have everyone commit to supporting” his son’s presidential campaign.
Neither Senator Flavio Bolsonaro nor representatives for the former president offered a response to requests for comment.
Jair Bolsonaro was convicted last year and sentenced to more than 27 years behind bars after being found guilty of plotting to overthrow President Lula following his loss in the 2022 election. He was subsequently moved to house arrest due to health concerns.
