Justice Alexandre de Moraes has allowed former president Jair Bolsonaro to leave custody temporarily for a medically necessary hernia operation, though no date has been set. Federal police doctors say he suffers from a painful bilateral inguinal hernia. De Moraes denied Bolsonaro’s request for house arrest after hospital discharge. Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence tied to convictions over a plot to overturn Brazil’s 2022 election and denies wrongdoing.
Bolsonaro Granted Temporary Prison Leave For Hernia Surgery; House Arrest Denied
FILE - Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro stands at the entrance of his home where he is under house arrest in Brasilia, Brazil, Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025. (AP Photo/Luis Nova, File)
SAO PAULO (AP) — Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes has authorized former president Jair Bolsonaro to leave federal custody temporarily to undergo a medically recommended hernia operation, officials said. The date of the procedure has not yet been set.
Federal police medical staff determined Bolsonaro requires surgery for a bilateral inguinal hernia — a condition affecting both groins that the doctors say causes him pain. Bolsonaro, who served as Brazil’s president from 2019 to 2022, has had several prior surgeries since he was stabbed at a 2018 campaign rally.
Prison Status And Conditions
Bolsonaro is serving a 27-year sentence handed down after his conviction in an attempted coup case. Justice de Moraes — who oversaw the trial and imposed the sentence — denied Bolsonaro’s separate request to be placed under house arrest following his hospital discharge.
Authorities report Bolsonaro is held at the federal police headquarters in Brasilia in a roughly 12-square-meter cell furnished with a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, a television and a desk. Officials say he has no contact with the small number of other detainees at the facility and retains unrestricted access to his personal doctors and lawyers; visits from other people require prior Supreme Court approval.
Convictions And Allegations
A panel of Supreme Court justices convicted Bolsonaro and multiple associates of plotting to overturn Brazil’s democratic institutions after his defeat in the 2022 election. Court findings describe a conspiracy that included plans to kill President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Justice Alexandre de Moraes, and schemes to foment an insurrection in early 2023.
Bolsonaro was also convicted on charges including leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. He has denied any wrongdoing.
