Brazil's Bolsonaro gets temporary house arrest for ill-health

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year sentence for leading a conspiracy, has been granted temporary house arrest for 90 days due to ill health, including pneumonia stemming from a 2018 knife attack. A Supreme Court Justice granted the request after Bolsonaro was recently hospitalized, reversing previous rejections. Bolsonaro will be monitored with an ankle bracelet and faces strict restrictions, including no phone or social media use, and limited visits from family, lawyers, and medical personnel. He was previously moved to a police cell after attempting to remove his ankle monitor. Despite being barred from running for office, Bolsonaro is supporting his son Flávio's presidential candidacy.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt, will continue his sentence under house arrest due to failing health, according to a ruling by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday. The 71-year-old Bolsonaro, recently hospitalized for pneumonia, will return to his Brasilia residence after discharge, wearing an ankle monitor and prohibited from using cellphones. Local police will surveil the property, restricting visitors to doctors and family. Justice de Moraes will review the case within 90 days, potentially extending the house arrest based on a medical report. The same day Bolsonaro was hospitalized, a U.S. State Department official had his Brazilian visa revoked amid concerns he planned to visit the former president.

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year sentence for a coup attempt, has been granted humanitarian house arrest due to his declining health. The decision, made by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, follows Bolsonaro's recent hospitalization for pneumonia, kidney problems, and other health issues stemming from a 2018 stabbing. Attorney General Paulo Gonet paved the way for the house arrest, which will be reassessed after 90 days, including a potential medical examination. Bolsonaro's lawyers had previously sought house arrest, but were denied. His son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, is reportedly running for president in October. Historically, Brazil's supreme court only reverses house arrest if a detainee's health improves dramatically, or if there is violation of the established rules.

Brazil's Supreme Court ordered house arrest for ten individuals on December 27, 2025, who were convicted for their involvement in a plot to keep former President Jair Bolsonaro in power after his 2022 election defeat. The decision followed the arrest in Paraguay of Silvinei Vasques, a former police chief also convicted in the plot, as he attempted to flee to El Salvador. Vasques, who had removed his ankle monitor, was extradited back to Brazil. The ten individuals, who were appealing their convictions, were already subject to cautionary measures. The court cited their roles in planning the coup, seeking legal justification, and spreading disinformation. In addition to house arrest, they are banned from social media, receiving visitors, and contacting other individuals under investigation, and must surrender their passports and firearm permits.