Dec 20, 2025, 06:23Dec 20, 2025, 06:23
Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro is temporarily allowed to leave prison to undergo a hernia operation. Federal judge Alexander de Moraes decided this. However, he rejected a request from Bolsonaro’s lawyers for house arrest for health reasons, local media reported, citing the decision. The federal judge justified this with repeated violations of conditions and attempts to escape. The night before his arrest, Bolsonaro damaged his electronic ankle bracelet with a soldering iron.
The now 70-year-old former head of state has been serving a prison sentence of more than 27 years since the end of November for an attempted coup. He is accused of planning a coup against the government of his successor Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva after being voted out. Bolsonaro ruled from 2019 to 2022.
Bolsonaro suffers from lung infections, gastritis, skin cancer and persistent hiccup crises. He underwent several operations due to complications following an assassination attempt during the 2018 election campaign.
The upcoming operation on the bilateral inguinal hernia was not classified as urgent, but should therefore be carried out as soon as possible. The ex-president’s defense team must propose the date for this. Federal police medics had previously confirmed that the operation requested by Bolsonaro’s doctors was actually necessary. (sda/dpa)