Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court placed former president Jair Bolsonaro under round-the-clock house arrest on Monday after Justice Alexandre de Moraes ruled that he repeatedly violated judicial restrictions, including a strict ban on using social media. The order, published at 18:15 in Brasília, empowers federal police to seize Bolsonaro’s electronic devices, maintain his ankle monitor and bar all visitors except his lawyers or individuals pre-approved by the court. Moraes said Bolsonaro “illicitly” addressed supporters at an anti-court rally on 3 August via a phone call broadcast by his son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, and later posted online—conduct the judge deemed a conscious effort to defy earlier limits on public statements. The 70-year-old right-wing leader was already subject to a night-time curfew, an interview ban and prohibitions on contact with co-defendants while standing trial for allegedly plotting a military takeover after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro’s lawyers said they were surprised by the ruling and will appeal, insisting he broke no conditions. Opposition lawmakers denounced the decision as overreach, while government allies defended the court’s action as necessary to uphold the rule of law. The arrest order further strains relations with Washington. The U.S. State Department—whose Western Hemisphere bureau last week labeled Moraes a sanctioned human-rights abuser—condemned the ruling and warned it would hold “all those aiding sanctioned conduct” accountable. President Donald Trump has already imposed a 50 percent tariff on Brazilian imports, calling the case a “witch hunt” against his political ally and hinting at additional measures.