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Bolsonaro Seeks Home Detention, Citing Health Risks After Coup Conviction

Lawyers for former President Jair Bolsonaro have requested that Brazil's Supreme Court allow him to serve his 27-year, three-month sentence under house arrest, citing serious medical needs. Bolsonaro was convicted in September for attempting to overturn the 2022 election and has been under house arrest since August. The defense points to detailed medical reports and a Public Defender inspection that described Brasília detention conditions as precarious.

04:17 AM, 11/22/2025Politics
Bolsonaro Seeks Home Detention, Citing Health Risks After Coup Conviction

Lawyers for former President Jair Bolsonaro have asked Brazil's Supreme Court to allow him to serve his 27-year, three-month prison sentence under house arrest, arguing that his medical needs cannot be met in a standard detention facility.

Bolsonaro was convicted in September of attempting to overturn the 2022 election and was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison. Earlier this month the Supreme Court unanimously dismissed an appeal from his legal team; his lawyers say another appeal is expected this week. He has been under house arrest since August after the court found he violated precautionary measures and has not yet begun serving the sentence imposed in the coup-attempt case.

In their petition the defense cited medical reports they say document the need for close monitoring of blood pressure and heart rate, routine diagnostic tests, specific medications and ongoing consultations with multiple specialists, including a cardiologist, pulmonologist and gastroenterologist.

"If the petitioner is sent to prison, his health will be at risk and he will not receive the medical care he needs," the attorneys wrote in the petition.

The filing also cites a recent inspection by the Public Defender's Office that described conditions at a Brasília detention center—one possible site where Bolsonaro could serve his sentence—as precarious.

Bolsonaro has been hospitalized multiple times since he was stabbed at a campaign event ahead of the 2018 election. In April he underwent surgery for a bowel obstruction, the lawyers note.

The Supreme Court will consider the defense request alongside ongoing appeals and other legal proceedings. Observers say the case highlights the tension between public-safety concerns, the rule of law and prisoners' access to adequate medical care.

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