Supreme Court justices vote against Jair Bolsonaro's release

The First Panel of the Brazilian Supreme Federal Court (STF) has reached a 2-0 vote against a habeas corpus petition seeking the release of former President Jair Bolsonaro. Justice Cristiano Zanin followed the rapporteur, Justice Cármen Lúcia, in rejecting the request.

The petition was filed by Claudio Leme Cavalheiro, who is not part of Bolsonaro’s official legal defense team. The request alleged illegal coercion regarding Bolsonaro’s liberty. However, Justice Cármen Lúcia noted that while any person may file a habeas corpus, it should not be done against the will of the individual concerned. She also emphasized that Bolsonaro has regularly constituted lawyers and that a habeas corpus cannot be used to contest decisions made by a minister or collegiate body within the STF itself.

Bolsonaro is currently serving a sentence of 27 years and 3 months for his involvement in an attempted coup d'état between 2022 and 2023. He is presently under humanitarian house arrest due to health reasons. The virtual trial is scheduled to continue until September 14, with votes from Justices Alexandre de Moraes and Flávio Dino still pending.