Brazil Court bars Flávio Bolsonaro from visiting father

Brazil's Supreme Court has barred presidential candidate Senator Flávio Bolsonaro from visiting his jailed father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, for 90 days, a ruling that will keep the leading opposition figure separated from his political anchor for the duration of the first-round election campaign. Justice Alexandre de Moraes issued the order on Monday, July 13, 2026, after determining that Flávio Bolsonaro had misused a visit to obtain a handwritten letter from his father and then posted it on social media.

The justice ruled that the posting circumvented the strict terms of Jair Bolsonaro's house arrest, which prohibit the former president from using social media either directly or through third parties. In the letter, Jair Bolsonaro urged his political allies to set aside internal disagreements and unite behind his son's presidential bid. Moraes described the senator's actions as a deliberate breach and a repeat of disrespectful conduct toward court orders, referencing a similar incident in August 2025 that contributed to the elder Bolsonaro's initial house arrest.

The 90-day visitation ban is set to expire around mid-October, covering the entire campaign period leading...