Brazil court bans ex-President Jair Bolsonaro’s son from visiting him for 90 days
Seyit Kurt
14 July 2026•Update: 14 July 2026
Brazil’s Supreme Court has barred presidential candidate Sen. Flavio Bolsonaro from visiting his father for 90 days.
His father is former President Jair Bolsonaro, who was convicted in September 2025 of plotting to overturn the result of the 2022 presidential election.
He was initially sentenced to more than 27 years in prison but later allowed to serve his sentence under house arrest because of health concerns.
However, he was barred from using social media or communicating with the public through third parties.
Flavio Bolsonaro is running in the presidential election scheduled for Oct. 4, with the former president backing him as his political successor.
Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order Monday after Flavio Bolsonaro read a handwritten letter from his father during a livestream on social media.
In the message, Jair Bolsonaro urged his political allies to put aside their differences and support his son’s presidential bid.
No more visits during most of campaign
The court order will remain in effect until after the first round of Brazil’s presidential election, preventing Flavio Bolsonaro from meeting his father during much of the campaign.
The court also gave the former president’s legal team 48 hours to explain whether he knew that the letter would be published online.
Flavio, who is seeking to emerge as the main conservative challenger to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, called the ruling “disproportionate” and accused Moraes of attempting to interfere in the election.
A lawyer for Flavio’s campaign described the decision as “illegal and unconstitutional,” arguing that it violated his rights as both a family member and one of his father’s lawyers.
Despite his conviction, Jair Bolsonaro remains influential among Brazil’s right-wing voters.
US President Donald Trump has publicly backed the former Brazilian president since his conviction.
Trump also recently met with Flavio Bolsonaro at the White House.
Flavio Bolsonaro’s campaign has faced scrutiny in recent months over his alleged links to a banker involved in a major financial scandal, as well as a public dispute with his stepmother, former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro.