Minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the Federal Supreme Court (STF), rejected this Thursday a request from the defense of former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL) for him to have access to a television with an internet connection (Smart TV) in prison. Moraes considered that “there is no legal provision” for the measure and that there would be a risk of “illegal practices”.
Last week, Carlos Bolsonaro, the former president’s son, lamented that Bolsonaro was prevented from watching videos on YouTube.
“I presented him with a new battery radio, so that he can at least listen to some stations, as the previous one didn’t work properly, and since he doesn’t even have a small TV with the capacity to watch a YouTube channel and follow news and other information”, complained the councilor.
Moraes’ denial occurred in the same decision in which the minister determined the transfer of Bolsonaro from the Federal Police Superintendence (PF) in Brasília, where he had been serving a sentence since November, to the 19th Military Police Battalion of the Federal District (PM-DF) — a place known as “Papudinha”, as it is next to the Papuda Penitentiary Complex.
“There is no legal provision that guarantees prisoners the right to possess or install electronic equipment with internet access or interactive systems, such as smart TVs”, said Moraes.
For the minister, internet connection “significantly increases the risks to institutional security, potentially enabling undue communications with the external environment, the practice of illicit acts, the obtaining of unauthorized information and the circumvention of control mechanisms”.
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Moraes also highlighted that Bolsonaro had access, under the PF superintendency, to a television with open channels and that this will remain at 19th BPM.
In the same decision, in addition to the transfer, the minister accepted two requests from the former president’s defense: authorization for religious assistance in prison and participation in a reading program to reduce the sentence.
Moraes followed the opinion of the Attorney General’s Office (PGR), which had defended the authorization of these two requests and the denial of the Smart TV request.
