Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from Brasilia’s DF Star Hospital and returned to Federal Police custody to continue serving his 27-year sentence for attempted coup, following an eight-day hospitalization for multiple surgeries.
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro -who governed the country from 2019 to 2022- returned to Federal Police headquarters in Brasilia on January 1, 2026, after being discharged from the DF Star Hospital.
Bolsonaro, who is serving a 27-year prison sentence for his involvement in an attempted coup, had been hospitalized since December 24, 2025, undergoing several medical procedures during his eight-day stay, in a medical procedure approved by the Brazil’s Supreme Court.
The former head of state was admitted for a bilateral inguinal hernia operation, a procedure from which he was expected to recover fully. However, his medical team later found it necessary to address additional health concerns, including hypoglycemia.
Prior to his release, Bolsonaro underwent an endoscopy on December 31, which revealed persistent esophagitis and gastritis. Doctors also reported an improvement in his hypoglycemic condition, paving the way for his planned discharge on January 1, contingent on no new health complications arising.
House Arrest Denied
Despite these medical interventions, the legal battle for his temporary release proved unsuccessful. Earlier yesterday, Judge Alexandre de Moraes of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) rejected a request from Bolsonaro’s defense for house arrest on humanitarian grounds.
The defense argued that the former President’s post-operative state necessitated special care that could be compromised within a closed prison environment, citing a similar measure granted to former President Fernando Collor de Mello.
However, Judge De Moraes’s ruling stated that no new facts were presented to justify the house arrest, reiterating previous rejections. The judge underscored that Bolsonaro’s health had, in fact, shown improvement following the elective surgeries, according to reports from his own doctors. Consequently, Bolsonaro was escorted by a large convoy of police vehicles and motorcycles from the hospital to the PF superintendency in the Brazilian capital.
Bolsonaro and several of his allies were convicted in September by a panel of Supreme Court justices of attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic system following his 2022 election defeat.
The plot included plans to kill Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and de Moraes and a plan to encourage an insurrection in early 2023, leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law.
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