RIO DE JANEIRO (AP) — Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Wednesday eased a key term of the house arrest imposed on former President Jair Bolsonaro in his coup plot case, allowing family members to visit without prior authorization.
De Moraes’ authorization, which followed a request from federal police, means the relatives will be able to visit the residence where Bolsonaro lives with his wife, Michelle, without first asking court for permission. It applies to Bolsonaro's sons and daughter, grandchildren and close relatives of his wife.
The conservative former leader is on trial for allegedly masterminding a coup plot to remain in office despite his election loss to current leftist President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Bolsonaro denies wrongdoing.
The house arrest order has sharply divided Brazilians, with his supporters saying the case against Bolsonaro is persecution of a political adversary, while Lula supporters say the matter should be decided in court.
The case has gripped the South American country as it faces a trade war with the United States. Bolsonaro has drawn the support of the U.S. government, with President Donald Trump calling the prosecution of Bolsonaro a witch hunt and tying his decision to impose a 50% tariff on imported Brazilian goods to his ally's judicial situation.
The original house arrest order issued Monday allowed only Bolsonaro's lawyers to have unlimited access to his residence.
De Moraes, who is responsible for putting Bolsonaro on trial, had ordered the former president’s house arrest for violating precautionary measures imposed on him by spreading content through his sons. The 70-year-old politician denies that and pledges to appeal the decision.
The court last month had ordered Bolsonaro to wear an electronic ankle monitor and obey a curfew while the proceedings are underway.
Many Brazilians have characterized the actions by de Moraes against Bolsonaro as too harsh.
Long-time Supreme Court justice Glimar Mendes came to his colleague's defense Wednesday, praising de Moraes as a protector of Brazil's institutional integrity. “Brazil owes him a lot," Mendes told journalists in the capital, Brasilia.
Mendes also alluded to the U.S. tariff policy as an abnormal and unacceptable infringement on Brazil's sovereignty.
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Demonstrators rally in support of former President Jair Bolsonaro at the entrance to his residential complex, to denounce his house arrest order by the Supreme Court, in Brasília, Brazil, Tuesday, Aug. 5, 2025. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres)
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) — A South Korean court sentenced former President Yoon Suk Yeol to five years in prison Friday in the first verdict from eight criminal trials over the martial law debacle that forced him out of office and other allegations.
Yoon was impeached, arrested and dismissed as president after his short-lived imposition of martial law in December 2024 triggered huge public protests calling for his ouster.
The most significant criminal charge against him alleges that his martial law enforcement amounted to a rebellion, and the independent counsel has requested the death sentence in the case that is to be decided in a ruling next month.
In Friday's case, the Seoul Central District Court sentenced Yoon for defying attempts to detain him, fabricating the martial law proclamation and sidestepping a legally mandated full Cabinet meeting.
Yoon has maintained he didn’t intend to place the country under military rule for an extended period, saying his decree was only meant to inform the people about the danger of the liberal-controlled parliament obstructing his agenda. But investigators have viewed Yoon’s decree as an attempt to bolster and prolong his rule, charging him with rebellion, abuse of power and other criminal offenses.
Judge Baek Dae-hyun said in the televised ruling that imposing “a grave punishment” was necessary because Yoon hasn’t shown remorse and has only repeated “hard-to-comprehend excuses.” The judge also restoring legal systems damaged by Yoon’s action was necessary.
Yoon, who can appeal the ruling, hasn’t immediately publicly responded to the ruling. But when the independent counsel demanded a 10-year prison term in the case, Yoon’s defense team accused them of being politically driven and lacking legal grounds to demand such “an excessive” sentence.
Prison sentences in the multiple, smaller trials Yoon faces would matter if he is spared the death penalty or life imprisonment at the rebellion trial.
Park SungBae, a lawyer who specializes in criminal law, said there is little chance the court would decide Yoon should face the death penalty in the rebellion case. He said the court will likely issue a life sentence or a sentence of 30 years or more in prison.
South Korea has maintained a de facto moratorium on executions since 1997 and courts rarely hand down death sentences. Park said the court would take into account that Yoon’s decree didn’t cause casualties and didn’t last long, although Yoon hasn’t shown genuine remorse for his action.
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol shouts slogans outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A supporter of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol waits for a bus carrying former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs as police officers stand guard outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs and flags outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
Supporters of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol hold signs outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
A picture of former South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol is placed on a board as supporters gather outside Seoul Central District Court, in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, Jan. 16, 2026. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man)
