Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro was released from hospital custody on Friday and transported to his home, where he will remain for at least 90 days under what authorities have termed "humanitarian house arrest." Bolsonaro, 71, has been serving a 27-year prison sentence since November after being convicted of plotting a coup following his loss in the 2022 election to current President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
The temporary move to home confinement follows an order earlier this week by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who authorized Bolsonaro to serve house arrest for 90 days on health grounds. The measure is subject to review at the end of that period to determine whether the arrangement should continue.
Earlier this month the far-right former president was admitted to the intensive care unit of a Brasilia hospital with an acute form of pneumonia and received antibiotic treatment. Medical staff reported that his condition had stabilized sufficiently to permit transfer from the hospital to his residence.
"His progress over the past two days has been what we expected - smooth, without any complications," Bolsonaro's doctor, Brasil Caiado, told reporters. The physician also said the former president is scheduled to return to hospital for shoulder surgery in late April.
Bolsonaro, who led the country from 2019 to 2022, has a documented history of hospitalizations and surgeries dating back to when he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign event in 2018. That record of prior medical treatment was cited in the decision to allow him to serve part of his sentence at home for medical reasons.
Legal and medical authorities have framed the house arrest as a temporary, health-related accommodation. The Supreme Court order provides for a 90-day period of home confinement, after which officials will reassess Bolsonaro's condition and legal status to decide whether the humanitarian measure should be extended.
The former president will remain under the terms of the house arrest throughout the 90-day period and until any subsequent decision is made following reassessment.