Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been discharged from hospital and returned to a federal police cell in the capital, Brasília. The move came on Thursday, one week after the ex-leader underwent a successful double hernia operation.
Medical Release and Judicial Denial
Hospital DF Star confirmed Bolsonaro's release, stating the surgery was completed without complications and followed by some minor additional procedures. The 70-year-old was granted a temporary release from custody for the medical intervention, which was approved by Brazil's Supreme Court.
However, a request from Bolsonaro's legal team for him to serve the remainder of his sentence under house arrest was firmly rejected. Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the same judge who sentenced the former president, denied the appeal, ordering his immediate return to the federal police headquarters.
Life in a High-Security Cell
Bolsonaro is now back in the 12-square-metre (approximately 130-square-foot) room that serves as his prison cell. The facility, where he is held in isolation from other inmates, is equipped with a bed, a private bathroom, air conditioning, a television, and a desk.
This latest hospital visit adds to a history of medical procedures for Bolsonaro, who was famously stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in 2018. He is serving a 27-year prison sentence handed down in September for leading an armed criminal organisation and attempting to violently overthrow the democratic state.
Political Repercussions and Family Silence
The former president, who governed from 2019 to 2022, continues to cast a long shadow over Brazilian politics. In a significant move last December, he appointed his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, to be his party's presidential candidate in next year's election, directly challenging incumbent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Neither Flávio nor Bolsonaro's wife, former first lady Michelle Bolsonaro, commented publicly on his return to prison. However, Michelle expressed support on her social media channels, writing: "There is a Brazil of good people which loves you and prays for you. We will beat the bad days."
The convictions relate to a detailed plot following Bolsonaro's 2022 election defeat. A Supreme Court panel found him and several allies guilty of a conspiracy that included plans to assassinate political rivals like Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin, and to incite an insurrection in early 2023. Bolsonaro has consistently denied any wrongdoing.
