BRASILIA – Former President of Brazil Jair Bolsonaro departed his residence in Brasilia, where he is confined under house arrest, to receive medical treatment at a nearby hospital. This marks his first public outing since receiving a 27-year prison sentence.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court panel determined that Bolsonaro engaged in coup activities and attempted to unlawfully retain power following his 2022 electoral loss to the present President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Under police escort, Bolsonaro visited the DF Star hospital in the capital for treatment related to skin lesions, granted as a temporary release by Justice Alexandre de Moraes on September 8.
He is due to be discharged on Sunday.
The 70-year-old far-right leader was subjected to house arrest in early August, following de Moraes’ assertion that Bolsonaro breached precautionary regulations linked to his coup trial. He was already fitted with an ankle monitor.
In late August, de Moraes heightened security measures, mandating police inspections of all vehicles departing Bolsonaro’s property and surveillance of the premises’ surroundings.
After the medical visit, Bolsonaro must file a certificate of attendance, indicating the date and times of the appointments, to the Supreme Court.
Bolsonaro’s son Carlos took to social media to complain about what he deemed to be excessive policing around his father’s trip to the hospital.
“I’m with my father and witnessing the continuation of the biggest circus in Brazilian history,” he wrote on X. “A convoy with more than 20 men ostensibly armed with rifles (…) just to promote the humiliation of an honest man.”
Die-hard supporters of Bolsonaro awaited the ex-president when he arrived at the hospital on Sunday and greeted him with shouts of “Amnesty now!” The chant is in reference to the push of Bolsonaro’s allies in Congress to grant the former president some kind of amnesty.
“We’re here to provide spiritual and psychological support,” said Deusélis Filho, 46, the president of a group of Bolsonaro supporters called Influencers of Brazil.
Thursday’s sentence doesn’t mean that Bolsonaro will immediately go to prison. The court panel has now up to 60 days to publish the ruling. Once it does, Bolsonaro’s lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification.
His lawyers have said that they will try to appeal both the conviction and sentence before the full Supreme Court of 11 justices, although some experts think it’s unlikely to be accepted.
International interest in Bolsonaro’s trial increased after U.S. President Donald Trump imposed a 50% tariff on Brazil, citing what he called a “witch hunt” against Bolsonaro.
After Thursday’s ruling, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio posted on X that Trump’s government “will respond accordingly.”
Brazil’s Foreign Ministry called Rubio’s comments an inappropriate threat that wouldn’t intimidate the government, adding that the country’s judiciary is independent and that Bolsonaro was granted due process.
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Eléonore Hughes reported from Rio de Janeiro.
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