Former Brazilian President Jair BolsonaroHe will remain detained in a special federal police cell in Brasilia, after he told a hearing that he manipulated the electronic anklet out of “paranoia” and “hallucinations” caused by the use of psychiatric medications.
“to … When asked about the electronic monitoring equipment, the declarant responded that he had been suffering from “paranoia” between Friday and Saturday due to the medications he was taking that were prescribed to him by various doctors and that they had reacted inappropriately,” the transcript of the hearing held by videoconference before the judge said. Luciana Yuki Fujishita Sorrentino.
Bolsonaro also stated that he “hallucinated” that there was a microphone on the anklet and that is why he tried to open it. A custody hearing is a judicial step that certifies the legality of your arrest, and is mandatory in Brazilian criminal law. The far-right leader has been detained since Saturday by order of a Supreme Court judge. Alexandre de Moraesbecause of evidence of the risk of escaping the house arrest he has been under since August, and not because of his conviction for the attempted coup.
Moraes decided to take Bolsonaro into preventive detention in the early hours of Saturday, as a measure to ensure public order before the vigil called by the senator. Flavio Bolsonaroson of the former president. But the decisive factor was the attempt to sabotage the electronic anklet that Bolsonaro had been using since August 4, the date on which his house arrest began for not adhering to previous precautionary measures, such as prohibiting the use of third-party social networks to attack the court.
A report from the Federal District Prison Administration Secretariat revealed that the monitoring anklet showed “clear and significant signs of failure”, with visible burn marks. After being interrogated by the criminal police, the former president admitted in a video clip recorded during the operation that he had used a soldering tool to tamper with the device. “I put a hot iron in it,” Bolsonaro admitted, stressing that he only used a “soldering iron” out of “curiosity.”
On the second day of his arrest, the former president received visits from his lawyer and his personal medical team, the Surgeon General Claudio Perolini And a cardiologist Leandro Ichenicoand. His defense has repeatedly requested house arrest on humanitarian grounds, citing a “serious clinical condition” and “multiple comorbidities” that pose a tangible risk to his life in a regular prison. Judge Moraes authorized these visits and ensured that the former president’s health was monitored. The defense report details the history of surgeries that Bolsonaro has performed since he was stabbed in the 2018 attack, which caused heart, lung, and digestive problems.
As a result of the sabotage of former President Bolsonaro’s electronic anklet
Moraes also allowed the former First Lady to visit, Michel Bolsonaroon Sunday afternoon, after the hearing, but had not yet granted the defense’s request so that the former president’s children could visit him as well. The judge, who asked them to complete the information, responded: “The defense did not specify which of the inmate’s children they intend to visit, which is a necessary condition for registration.”
Bolsonaro’s arrest was confirmed due to his flight risk when he tried to destroy the anklet. The activation of the device’s alarm at 00:08 local time was interpreted as compelling evidence of intent to evade justice. In his decision, the judge cited the potential risk of flight and the proximity of the former president’s home to the US Embassy, and noted that Bolsonaro had previously planned to seek asylum in Argentina.
Bolsonaro’s legal situation has gradually deteriorated since he was sentenced to 27 years in prison last September, a ruling that has not yet become final and is still in the appeals phase. The former president must now await these resources in a special 12-square-meter cell, with the same characteristics in which the president was already detained. Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva And the former president Michel Tamer. Outside the building, a group of followers demand his release and promise to remain vigilant.
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