BRASILIA — 9: 00 PM ET, March 27 — In the coup case tied to Brazil’s post-election unrest, former President Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from the hospital Friday and transferred to his residence in Brasilia to begin a 90-day period of house arrest. The move comes as he serves a 27-year prison sentence for involvement in an attempted coup after losing the 2022 election to President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The Supreme Federal Court authorized the temporary arrangement after weighing Bolsonaro’s health condition, his personal physician said.
Supreme Court order sets 90-day home confinement starting at discharge
Justice Alexandre de Moraes authorized Bolsonaro to temporarily serve his sentence under house arrest for an initial 90 days, counted from the moment of his discharge from the hospital. The measure will be reassessed at the end of that period, and the provision may be extended.
The Supreme Federal Court had previously rejected similar requests from the defense, but in this instance determined Bolsonaro’s health condition “requires constant and careful attention, ” aligning with a recommendation from prosecutors.
Medical update after bronchopneumonia hospitalization
Bolsonaro, 71, had been hospitalized on March 13 with bronchopneumonia after presenting high fever, low oxygen saturation, and chills while he was in prison. His doctor, Brasil Caiado, confirmed Friday that the former president “has just been discharged” and will continue recovery at home under what the physician described as a “disciplined” treatment plan.
Bolsonaro’s medical team said his right lung “is normal, ” while the left still shows alterations that will be treated with physiotherapy. Caiado said full recovery from severe bilateral pneumonia can take between six weeks and six months, and he did not rule out complications such as pulmonary fibrosis.
Caiado called the judicial decision a “sensible decision, ” saying a home environment offers better conditions to prevent relapses than a prison facility. Bolsonaro’s family, he added, made adjustments to the residence to facilitate recovery, including installing a special bed to address reflux issues and episodes of hiccups.
Restrictions: ankle monitor, no devices, no third-party communication
The 90-day house arrest includes strict limits on communication. Bolsonaro must wear an electronic ankle monitor at all times and is prohibited from using smartphones, computers, or any other means of communication, including through third parties. He is also fully barred from publishing or recording video or audio.
The restrictions land as the coup conviction continues to shape Brazil’s political landscape, with polling noted in the court-related reporting showing a technical tie in a potential October runoff between Bolsonaro’s son, Flavio Bolsonaro, and President Lula.
What led to the transfer from prison to home
Before the latest court decision, Bolsonaro had been held at the Federal Police Headquarters in Brasilia. The court ordered his imprisonment in November citing flight risk after he damaged his electronic ankle monitor using a welding tool.
Now, the Supreme Federal Court’s ruling ties Bolsonaro’s release from hospital care directly to a monitored home confinement plan, setting up a formal review at the end of the 90-day term.
What’s next
The next milestone is the court’s reassessment at the end of the 90-day period that began at hospital discharge, with an extension possible. Bolsonaro’s recovery timeline remains uncertain within the six-week to six-month window described by his physician, and his compliance with the communication bans and electronic monitoring will be central to how the court handles the case ahead. For now, the coup sentence continues to be served from inside a tightly restricted residence in Brasilia under judicial supervision.
