Bolsonaro Declared Flight Risk as Coup Trial Nears Verdict

Brazilian authorities moved to tighten security around former president Jair Bolsonaro on Tuesday, declaring him a flight risk as his coup-related trial heads toward a verdict. A judge ordered round-the-clock surveillance after police disclosed a draft asylum request found on Bolsonaro’s phone that appeared to outline an approach to seeking political refuge in Argentina. The proceedings in the case, which could carry a prison term of up to 40 years if Bolsonaro is convicted of attempting to overturn the 2022 election, are due to conclude in the coming weeks.

Bolsonaro is currently under house arrest for violating a court order that barred him from using social media, and he faces a trial that prosecutors say centers on leading a criminal effort to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office after the 2022 vote. The judge’s decision to flag him as a flight risk and impose 24-hour monitoring follows police findings that Bolsonaro possessed documents designed to help him flee the country, reinforcing concerns among opponents that the former president could evade accountability if given more time.

Authorities also allege that Bolsonaro and his son, Eduardo Bolsonaro, sought...