Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been discharged from hospital after nearly two weeks of treatment and transferred to his home in Brasília, where he will serve a 90-day humanitarian house arrest following a ruling by Brazil’s Supreme Court.
His physician, Dr. Brasil Caiado, confirmed the discharge outside the private DF Star Hospital, where Bolsonaro had been receiving treatment for bronchopneumonia and related health complications.
“Bolsonaro has just been discharged,” Caiado told reporters, adding that the former president’s condition had improved sufficiently for home-based recovery. According to the doctor, Bolsonaro’s health is “generally stable,” although his full recovery may take several weeks or even months due to the risk of lung complications during healing.
The 71-year-old former leader had spent more than a week in the intensive care unit before being transferred earlier this week to a regular hospital room as his condition improved.
Bolsonaro is currently serving a 27-year prison sentence after being convicted for plotting a coup attempt following his defeat in the 2022 presidential election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Brazil’s Supreme Court approved his temporary transfer from prison to house arrest on humanitarian grounds after his legal team argued that his health condition required continued medical supervision.
The ruling, issued by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, grants Bolsonaro an initial 90-day period under house arrest, after which the court will review whether the arrangement should be extended or whether he should return to prison.
Under the court’s conditions, Bolsonaro must wear an electronic ankle monitor, is barred from using a phone or social media, and may only receive visits from immediate family members, lawyers, and medical personnel.
The decision marks a temporary easing of restrictions after earlier requests for humanitarian relief had been denied.
Bolsonaro had previously been under house arrest before being transferred back to prison after authorities said he tampered with his electronic monitoring device — an act the court interpreted as an attempted breach of supervision.
Doctors say his latest illness is linked to long-term complications from the 2018 stabbing attack he suffered while campaigning for the presidency — an incident that has led to multiple surgeries and recurring health challenges, including digestive complications and respiratory stress.
The former president’s health and legal battles continue to unfold against the backdrop of Brazil’s increasingly heated political climate ahead of the October presidential election, where his eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, has emerged as a leading conservative figure and potential standard-bearer for Bolsonaro’s political base.
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