A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, on Tuesday granted former president Jair Bolsonaro temporary house arrest on humanitarian grounds following his hospitalization for bronchopneumonia.
In a court document obtained by AFP, the judge approved a 90-day period of house arrest to begin after Bolsonaro is discharged from hospital, noting that the measure could be extended if medically necessary.
Bolsonaro, 71, has been serving a 27-year prison sentence since September after being convicted over an attempted coup linked to the 2022 elections. He had been held at the Papuda Penitentiary Complex before being admitted to a private clinic in Brasília on March 13 after falling ill in custody.
Medical officials said Bolsonaro’s condition is linked to complications from a bronchial aspiration episode, itself associated with injuries sustained during a 2018 campaign stabbing. After more than a week in intensive care, he was transferred to a standard inpatient room on Monday.
Meanwhile, the former president has endorsed his eldest son, Flávio Bolsonaro, as his preferred candidate for the October presidential election.
With less than seven months to the vote, early opinion polls indicate a tight race between Flávio Bolsonaro and incumbent President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth term in office.
