On a quiet Saturday just after midnight, Brazilian police received an urgent alert: the electronic ankle monitor tracking former president Jair Bolsonaro had been tampered with. Officers rushed to his residence and found the device scorched and deformed, still attached to his ankle. There was no sign of a fire or accident—Bolsonaro himself admitted to burning the monitor, using a soldering iron, just days before he was expected to begin serving a 27-year prison sentence for his role in a failed coup attempt. The episode, dramatic as it was, marked a new and decisive chapter in the ongoing legal saga of Brazil’s most controversial recent leader.
The Supreme Federal Court’s First Panel, led by Justice Alexandre de Moraes, wasted little time responding. On November 24, 2025, the court ruled to maintain Bolsonaro’s preventive detention, citing the tampering incident as evidence of an intention to escape. According to the Brazilian news site g1.globo.com, the court’s action was rooted in the Criminal Procedure Code—measures designed to protect public order and ensure the law’s application. The ruling came after Bolsonaro was transferred to a special holding cell at Federal Police headquarters in Brasília, a move that underscored the gravity of the court’s concerns about flight risk.
Bolsonaro’s explanations for the damaged monitor shifted over the course of several days. Initially, he claimed he had accidentally bumped the device against the stairs. Later, he admitted to damaging it with an iron out of “curiosity.” But during a custody hearing on November 23, he offered a third story, saying that paranoia and hallucinations, triggered by psychiatric medication, led him to believe the ankle monitor contained a listening device. These inconsistent accounts, Justice Moraes argued, undermined Bolsonaro’s credibility and pointed to a clear intention to evade justice. As reported by multiple outlets, Moraes also noted that nightly prayer vigils organized by Bolsonaro’s son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, could have been used to facilitate an escape—or even provide cover for seeking refuge in a nearby foreign embassy.
The legal context is as dramatic as the personal. Bolsonaro, 70, was sentenced in September 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison, becoming the first former head of state in Brazil’s history to be convicted for leading an attempted coup. The conviction included a litany of charges: armed criminal conspiracy, attempted violent abolition of the democratic state, attempted coup d’état, property damage with violence and serious threat, and desecration of protected heritage sites. Prosecutors allege that Bolsonaro led a criminal organization composed of military personnel, police officers, and political allies, all aimed at preventing the transfer of power after his defeat in the 2022 presidential election by Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The investigation into Bolsonaro’s actions gained momentum after the shocking events of January 8, 2023, when thousands of his supporters stormed Brazil’s Congress, Supreme Court, and presidential palace, echoing the chaos of the U.S. Capitol riot two years earlier. According to testimony from Lieutenant Colonel Mauro Cid, Bolsonaro’s former aide-de-camp, the plot included not only plans to disrupt the democratic transition but also the drafting of a decree for a coup and even assassination plots targeting President-elect Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and Justice Moraes himself. Federal Police investigators later uncovered a scheme dubbed the “green-and-yellow dagger,” with chilling details about its objectives.
After Bolsonaro’s conviction, his lawyers mounted a series of appeals, arguing that house arrest was more appropriate given his age and health—he still suffers from complications following a stabbing attack in 2018, they said. But the Supreme Court was unmoved, especially after the ankle monitor incident. As reported by The Washington Post, the court rejected the house arrest request on November 24, the same day it upheld the preventive detention order. Legal scholar Leonardo Drigo, interviewed by Radio BdF, described the arrest as “the culmination of a due legal process” and “the effective exercise of democracy through the judiciary.” Drigo emphasized that the proceedings had stayed within the bounds of the law, noting, “These defendants, including Jair Bolsonaro, are being guaranteed the same human rights that they themselves denied to others while in power.”
The timeline for Bolsonaro’s final incarceration is now a matter of days, not months. The Supreme Court’s First Panel has already rejected all remaining appeals and upheld the convictions of Bolsonaro and other members of what prosecutors called the coup’s “Hard Core.” The deadline for new motions expired on November 24, bringing the case to the brink of finality—known in Brazilian legal terms as trânsito em julgado, when no further appeals are possible. Justice Moraes, the case’s rapporteur, is known for moving cases swiftly and could order the formal start of Bolsonaro’s sentence at any moment. Once the final ruling is issued, Bolsonaro will likely serve his term at Brasília’s Papuda penitentiary or in a special cell at the Federal Police facility, while other convicted military officers and federal police agents are expected to serve their sentences in military detention units or designated wings within the Papuda complex.
Bolsonaro’s defense team has continued to argue that he poses no risk of flight, with lawyer Paulo Cunha Bueno telling reporters, “Bolsonaro would have no way of escaping. He is an elderly man who suffers from serious health problems.” Still, the court has been unmoved by such claims, especially in light of the evidence that he attempted to disable his ankle monitor. Legal analysts have noted that the court’s actions are consistent with the Criminal Procedure Code’s provisions for protecting public order and preventing escape, particularly in high-profile cases involving threats to democracy.
The political implications of Bolsonaro’s detention and impending imprisonment are profound. While his supporters decry what they see as political persecution, legal experts and the court itself have emphasized the scrupulous adherence to due process. The proceedings have unfolded publicly, with all parties granted the right to appeal and present their cases. Justice Moraes’s office, in particular, has maintained a posture of transparency and legal rigor, reflecting the gravity of the charges and the need to reaffirm Brazil’s democratic institutions.
As the final formalities play out, Brazil finds itself at a crossroads. The nation’s judiciary has asserted its independence and demonstrated its willingness to hold even the most powerful to account. For Bolsonaro, the end of the road appears near: if all appeals are rejected, he will soon begin serving his historic 27-year sentence. The episode serves as a stark reminder of the fragility of democracy—and the vigilance required to protect it, even when the stakes are personal and the spotlight is global.
