Brazilian leftist Congressman Lindbergh Farias announced over the weekend that he is asking the Supreme Federal Tribunal (STF) to revoke the humanitarian house arrest provisions granted to former President Jair Bolsonaro.
The request, Farias detailed, is allegedly justified on the grounds that Bolsonaro’s son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, read a handwritten letter penned by his father during a livestream — which, according to Farias, constitutes a “violation” of the terms of Jair Bolsonaro’s house arrest. Farias is a lawmaker of the ruling Workers’ Party (PT) led by radical leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva representing the state of Rio de Janeiro.
On Saturday, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro — who is running for president against Lula in the October 2026 presidential election — hosted a 20-minute YouTube livestream in which he showed and read a letter written by his father. In the letter, Jair Bolsonaro called upon Brazilians to set aside any differences and commit to supporting Flávio’s presidential run — describing his son as “the best option for freeing Brazil from corruption, violence, and impoverishment.”
Sen. Bolsonaro also published a photo and transcription of the Portuguese language letter on social media.
“My pre-candidate [Flávio], I believe yours as well, my spokesperson in whom I trust to rescue Brazil and lead us to peace and prosperity,” the letter read in part.
“A warm embrace to all in the certainty that, together, we will do everything for our homeland,” the text continued. “God, Homeland, Family, and Freedom.”
Jair Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence for “crimes against democracy” after the STF convicted him of allegedly conspiring with several other individuals to stage a “coup” to overturn the results of the 2022 presidential election — a controversial election marred with several acts of censorship against the Bolsonaro campaign that resulted in a narrow Lula victory. Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro announced in December that he would run for president and would only step down in the event that his father was released from prison and allowed to run.
Since March, the 71-year-old president, who suffers from a litany of health conditions, has been serving his sentence in his residence in Brasília after Bolsonaro, already in frail health, contracted bacterial pneumonia in both of his lungs while in prison. STF Justice de Moraes finally agreed to grant him house arrest after the pneumonia sent the former president to an Intensive Care Unit (ICU); however, he imposed a series of highly restrictive conditions that prohibit the former president from speaking to the press and utilizing his social media accounts or the accounts of other individuals, among other prohibitions.
Hours after Sen. Bolsonaro’s Saturday livestream ended, Congressman Farias announced that he lodged a request at the STF to revoke Jair Bolsonaro’s house arrest over the letter’s publication while also demanding that Sen. Bolsonaro be imposed a fine of 100,000 Brazilian reais (roughy $19,500) for publishing his father’s letter.
The Brazilian outlet Poder 360 obtained a copy of Farias’ request, in which the lawmaker accused Bolsonaro of using his son as a “spokesperson” to disclose a “manifestation of political-electoral content.” According to the lawmaker, that constitutes a violation of the STF’s restrictions on Jair Bolsonaro’s use of social media. Farias reportedly argued that Bolsonaro met with his son on Saturday morning and wrote the letter during that day’s authorized family visit.
Farias also published a video on his official Instagram account confirming the request, reiterating his accusations against the Bolsonaros over the alleged violation of the house arrest terms. The leftist lawmaker also claimed that Sen. Bolsonaro read his father’s letter as part of a purported “strategy” to “swap” candidates in the election.
“Look, this is an important point I want you to understand. Flávio Bolsonaro’s campaign hasn’t gained traction. It doesn’t generate excitement or energize the base,” Farias claimed during the video.
“He struggles a lot. So, it’s as if they’re swapping candidates. The candidate is no longer Flávio; the candidate is Jair Bolsonaro,” he continued.
The Supreme Federal Tribunal has not publicly commented on Congressman Farias’ request at press time. Last week, Justice de Moraes ordered a police raid on Jair Bolsonaro’s residence in search of weapons and firearms. The justice ordered the raid in response to an alleged “discrepancy” in firearms registered under Jair Bolsonaro’s name, even though all of the former president’s firearms were accounted for by his legal team.
In March, de Moraes demanded explanations from Bolsonaro’s legal team after another of the former president’s sons, exiled lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro, recorded a video for his father during his participation at that month’s Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in Texas. Eduardo Bolsonaro has resided in the United States since 2025 after he fled Brazil and requested political asylum on the grounds that he was the target of a persecution campaign led by de Moraes.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
