BY EMMANUEL OGBONNA
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro underwent a double hernia operation on Thursday at a private hospital in the capital, Brasília, according to his medical team, marking the latest chapter in a series of health complications that have followed him since a 2018 stabbing attack and amid his ongoing imprisonment for attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic order.
Doctors at DF Star Hospital said the surgery lasted approximately three and a half hours and was completed successfully without complications. In a statement released after the procedure, the medical team said Bolsonaro would remain under close postoperative care, including pain control, physical therapy and measures to prevent venous thrombosis. Physicians said the hernia had been causing the former president persistent discomfort and required surgical intervention.
Bolsonaro, who has been hospitalized since Wednesday, was transferred from federal police custody to the hospital after court authorization. He has been serving a 27-year prison sentence since November following his conviction for involvement in an attempted coup after his 2022 election defeat. Federal police doctors confirmed that the procedure was medically necessary, prompting judicial approval for his temporary removal from prison.
The authorization was granted by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro’s trial and handed down the sentence. While approving the hospital stay, de Moraes rejected a request from Bolsonaro’s legal team that he be placed under house arrest after leaving the hospital, ruling that he must return to custody once doctors determine he is fit for discharge.
Bolsonaro, who governed Brazil from 2019 to 2022, has a long medical history stemming from the knife attack he suffered during a campaign rally in 2018, when he was stabbed in the abdomen. Since then, he has undergone several surgeries related to intestinal and abdominal complications, with doctors frequently citing lingering effects from that incident.
Authorities say Bolsonaro remains isolated from other detainees at the federal police headquarters in Brasília, where he is held in a small room equipped with a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, a television and a desk. He is allowed unrestricted access to his doctors and legal team, while other visits require approval from the Supreme Court. Justice de Moraes authorized Bolsonaro’s sons to visit him during his hospital stay, and his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, has been accompanying him throughout the procedure and recovery.
Ahead of the surgery on Thursday morning, Bolsonaro’s eldest son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, spoke briefly to reporters outside the hospital, revealing that his father had written a letter formally endorsing him as the presidential candidate of the Liberal Party in next year’s election. Flávio Bolsonaro had earlier announced, on Dec. 5, his intention to challenge President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth nonconsecutive term in office.
The senator read excerpts of the handwritten letter to journalists, and his office later released the full text. In the document, dated Dec. 25, Bolsonaro praised his son as the rightful successor to his political legacy, describing him as the continuation of a path he said was defined by prosperity, responsibility and loyalty to the Brazilian people.
Bolsonaro and several close allies were convicted by a panel of Supreme Court justices of orchestrating efforts to undermine Brazil’s democratic institutions following his loss to Lula in the 2022 election. Prosecutors said the conspiracy included plans to assassinate Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and Justice de Moraes, as well as attempts to incite an uprising in early 2023.
In addition to the coup-related conviction, Bolsonaro was found guilty of leading an armed criminal organization and attempting the violent abolition of the democratic rule of law. He has consistently denied all charges, portraying himself as the victim of political persecution.
As he recovers from surgery under court supervision, Bolsonaro’s legal battles and political influence continue to reverberate through Brazil’s deeply polarized landscape, with his endorsement of his son underscoring his determination to remain a central figure in national politics despite his imprisonment.
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