Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro temporarily left his place of confinement on Wednesday to undergo a scheduled Christmas Day surgery to correct two inguinal hernias. He is serving a 27-year and three-month sentence for sedition.
The authorization was granted by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who is overseeing the case in which the former president was convicted. The far-right leader left the Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia, where he has been held in a special cell since November 22, around 09:30 local time (12:30 GMT). He was discreetly escorted by four vehicles and some motorized agents, as per Justice de Moraes's instructions.
After a journey of just five minutes, the 70-year-old former head of state arrived at a private hospital where the procedure will take place on Thursday, entering through the garage. The surgery to correct the two hernias is expected to last three to four hours and will keep Bolsonaro hospitalized for five to seven days, depending on his recovery.
Bolsonaro has been suffering from several health issues for months, including vomiting, dizziness, and hiccups—disorders resulting from a stab wound he received from a mentally ill person during the 2018 election campaign.
As stipulated by the judge, during his hospital stay, the former head of state can only be accompanied by his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro. All other visits will require judicial permission. Two of his sons, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro and Rio de Janeiro councilman Carlos Bolsonaro, had also requested to accompany their father during his hospitalization.
While hospitalized, the far-right leader will be under 24-hour surveillance, with at least two agents at the door of his room and other Federal Police officers inside and outside the medical center. The judge also prohibited computers, mobile phones, or any electronic equipment from being brought into the former president's room.
Bolsonaro was convicted for leading a plot to try to stay in power after losing the 2022 elections, in which progressive Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva was the winner. In addition to the prison sentence, the former head of state (2019-2022) is barred from running for office until 2060. Last week, the Brazilian Congress passed a law significantly reducing his sentence, but Lula has already announced he will veto it.
