Brazil: Flávio Bolsonaro authorized to see his father Jair, ex-president under house arrest

The Supreme Court of Brazil on Monday, October 12, authorized presidential candidate Flávio Bolsonaro to once again visit his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a prison sentence at home in Brasilia.

Coming in first in the first round ahead of outgoing President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro junior must not involve his father in the electoral campaign two weeks before the second round, on October 25. Flávio Bolsonaro is in a tie after obtaining 47% of the votes against 45% for the left-wing president, seeking a second consecutive mandate, his fourth in total. Currently a senator, Bolsonaro Jr. has been banned from visits since July after revealing the contents of a letter of support from his father to his campaign.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes authorized the visits but prohibited them from having “a political-electoral purpose”, according to the Supreme Court decision. Jair Bolsonaro has been serving a 27-year prison sentence since the end of 2025 for trying to cling to power after his electoral defeat against Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva in 2022. He has always proclaimed his innocence. Due to recurring health problems, he is serving his sentence at home, in a wealthy neighborhood of Brasilia, with his wife Michelle, just elected to the Senate, and their daughter Laura.