Trending 
A justice of Brazil’s Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, has approved a temporary shift from prison to house arrest for former president Jair Bolsonaro on humanitarian grounds, following his recent hospitalisation for bronchopneumonia.
“I authorise temporary humanitarian house arrest for an initial period of 90 days,” Justice Moraes said in a ruling on Tuesday, noting that the measure could be extended if medical conditions require it. The decision comes shortly after Bolsonaro, 71, was discharged from a private clinic in Brasília, where he had been receiving treatment after falling ill in custody.
Bolsonaro had been serving a 27-year sentence handed down in September over his role in an attempted coup linked to the 2022 political crisis. Since mid-January, he had been held at the Papuda penitentiary complex before his health deteriorated.
Under the ruling, Bolsonaro will remain under strict supervision. He is required to wear an electronic ankle monitor and is barred from using a phone or social media platforms. However, he will be permitted visits from family members, legal representatives, and medical professionals.
Medical reports cited in the case indicate that Bolsonaro’s condition stems from complications linked to a 2018 stabbing incident during his presidential campaign. Doctors say the infection was triggered by a bronchial aspiration episode connected to that earlier injury.
Despite his imprisonment, Bolsonaro has remained politically active. He has endorsed his son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, as his preferred candidate for Brazil’s upcoming presidential election scheduled for October.
With less than seven months until the vote, early opinion polls suggest a tightly contested race between Flavio Bolsonaro and incumbent president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth term, setting the stage for a high-stakes political showdown.
