Brazil’s Supreme Court rejects Jair Bolsonaro’s request for house arrest

The Brazilian Federal Supreme Court has again denied a petition from the defence squad of erstwhile President Jair Bolsonaro to determination him from situation to location arrest.

Bolsonaro, 70, has been successful and retired of infirmary implicit the past week, undergoing aggregate treatments for assertive hiccups and a hernia.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Brazilian Supreme Court says Bolsonaro tin permission situation to acquisition surgery
• list 2 of 3Brazil’s jailed ex-President Bolsonaro undergoes ‘successful’ surgery
• list 3 of 3Key Bolsonaro state arrested successful Paraguay portion trying to fly to El Salvador

But connected Thursday, his petition for location apprehension connected “humanitarian grounds” was denied, a time aft it was filed.

In explaining the court’s decision, Justice Alexandre de Moraes argued that Bolsonaro already has entree to round-the-clock aesculapian attraction successful constabulary custody.

The erstwhile right-wing person is presently being held astatine the national constabulary office successful the capital, Brasilia, aft being sentenced to 27 years successful situation for attempting to overturn his 2022 electoral defeat.

De Moraes besides questioned whether Bolsonaro’s wellness merited “humanitarian” accommodations.

“Contrary to what the defence alleges, determination has been nary worsening of Jair Messias Bolsonaro’s wellness condition,” the justness said successful his decision.

“Rather, his objective information showed betterment successful the discomfort helium was experiencing aft undergoing elective surgeries, arsenic indicated successful the study from his ain doctors.”

Dr Brasil Caiado speaks aft Bolsonaro underwent country to dainty hiccups connected December 29, 2025 [Mateus Bonomi/Reuters]

Multiple requests

This is not the archetypal clip the tribunal has rejected a akin petition from Bolsonaro, who has reportedly suffered from lingering conditions, including hiccups, related to an abdominal stabbing helium survived connected the run way successful 2018.

Bolsonaro was taken into custody successful November aft damaging an ankle show that allowed him to stay astatine location portion pursuing appeals. He had been convicted successful September.

But soon aft Bolsonaro was remanded into custody, his defence squad filed a request for location arrest, informing of life-threatening conditions down bars.

“It is definite that keeping the petitioner successful a situation situation would airs a factual and contiguous hazard to his carnal integrity and adjacent his life,” his lawyers wrote.

That request, and a consequent 1 successful December, person been denied.

On December 23, though, the Supreme Court approved Bolsonaro’s petition to permission prison, successful bid to acquisition country for a hernia, resulting from harm to his abdominal muscles.

He travelled to Brasilia’s DF Star infirmary to person attraction and has since pursued different procedures, including a phrenic nervus artifact attraction and an endoscopy, to code his persistent hiccups.

Election controversy

A erstwhile service captain, Bolsonaro became a rising prima successful Brazil’s acold close and served arsenic president for a azygous term, from 2019 to 2023.

During his term, helium faced scrutiny for comments helium made praising Brazil’s subject dictatorship, which ruled the state from 1964 to 1985 and oversaw the systematic torture and killings of governmental dissidents.

He besides allegedly utilized his bureau to formed uncertainty connected the integrity of Brazil’s physics voting system.

In 2023, Brazil’s Superior Electoral Court (TSE) would yet barroom Bolsonaro from holding nationalist bureau for 8 years, citing instances wherever helium broadcast unfounded allegations astir the predetermination strategy connected authorities TV and societal media.

Still, Bolsonaro was considered a frontrunner going into the 2022 statesmanlike race, wherever helium faced two-term erstwhile President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The contention precocious to an October 30 run-off. Lula eked retired a constrictive win, besting the incumbent Bolsonaro by little than 2 percent points, with 50.9 percent of the vote.

In the aftermath, Bolsonaro refused to publically concede defeat, though media reports bespeak helium whitethorn person done truthful successful private.

Meanwhile, helium and his allies filed a ineligible situation against the predetermination result that was quickly rejected for its “total lack of immoderate evidence”. Bolsonaro’s conjugation was fined astir $4.3m for the “bad faith” petition.

But the unfounded content that Bolsonaro’s decision was someway illegitimate prompted his supporters to instrumentality to the streets. Some blocked highways. Others attacked the national constabulary headquarters.

The tensions culminated connected January 8, 2023, a week aft Lula’s inauguration, erstwhile thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed Brasilia’s Three Powers Plaza and broke into buildings representing Congress, the presidency and the Supreme Court.

Some supporters expressed anticipation that they could pb to a subject coup that would region Lula from power.

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro holds bobble-head dolls depicting US President Donald Trump and Bolsonaro connected December 19, 2025 [Adriano Machado/Reuters]

Legal jeopardy

That onslaught prompted wide-ranging investigations, and successful November 2024, national constabulary issued a sweeping report accusing Bolsonaro and 36 allies of attempting to “violently dismantle” Brazil’s law order.

The study elaborate alleged instances wherever Bolsonaro and his allies discussed invalidating the predetermination results — oregon adjacent assassinating Lula.

Last February, prosecutors formally charged Bolsonaro and dozens of codefendants for attempting to overthrow the 2022 election.

His proceedings unfolded contempt high-level planetary unit from right-wing figures similar United States President Donald Trump, who imposed steep tariffs connected Brazil successful August to protestation against the prosecution.

Still, successful September, Bolsonaro was recovered blameworthy connected 5 counts, including attempted coup d’etat, equipped conspiracy, attempted abolition of the regularisation of law, demolition of nationalist spot and harm to nationalist heritage.

Bolsonaro has denied wrongdoing passim the lawsuit and has called his prosecution an effort to soundlessness a governmental rival.

He remains a fashionable fig connected the right, and his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, announced past period his volition to situation Lula for the presidency this upcoming October.

Last month, Brazil’s conservative-led Congress besides passed a bill that could shorten Bolsonaro’s sentence, though Lula has pledged to veto it.