Brazil’s Supreme Court has authorized the temporary release of former President Jair Bolsonaro from prison to undergo hernia surgery on Christmas Day. Justice Alexandre de Moraes approved the medical transfer on Tuesday, permitting the 70-year-old to be moved from federal custody to a medical facility on December 24th for the procedure scheduled December 25th.
The incarcerated former leader is currently serving a 27-year sentence for orchestrating a coup plot following his electoral defeat to left-wing rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in 2022. Bolsonaro’s health complications stem from a 2018 abdominal stabbing during his presidential campaign, requiring multiple surgical interventions including intestinal surgery earlier this year.
This medical development occurs amid significant political tensions regarding Bolsonaro’s imprisonment. Brazil’s Congress recently passed legislation that could substantially reduce his sentence from 27 years to under three years, sparking mass protests across major Brazilian cities. President Lula has vowed to veto the bill, though acknowledges his conservative-dominated Congress could override this decision.
The international dimension of this case intensified as the United States lifted sanctions previously imposed on Justice Moraes in July. President Donald Trump, who previously characterized the investigation into Bolsonaro as a ‘witch hunt,’ expressed support for the sentence-reducing legislation.