Star Metro - Brazil's Bolsonaro leaves hospital, starts house arrest for coup attempt

Bolsonaro was hospitalized with bronchopneumonia after falling ill in prison, where he was serving a 27-year sentence for attempting a coup after his 2022 election loss to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The 71-year-old "has just been discharged," his doctor, Brasil Caiado, told reporters outside the private DF Star hospital. Bolsonaro will have to follow an intensive routine of physical therapy and care, the doctor said.

"His health condition is more or less stable," Caiado said.

Bolsonaro was hospitalized on March 13 after suffering from a high fever, chills and low oxygen saturation in prison. After more than a week in intensive care, he was moved to a regular ward on Monday, paving the way for his release.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday granted a request by Bolsonaro's lawyers to allow him to serve his sentence at home for a period of 90 days on humanitarian grounds.

Previously, the justice had repeatedly rejected similar requests from the defense, who had argued that Bolsonaro's poor health made serving his sentence in prison unfeasible. The severity of this latest hospitalization appears to have tipped the scales.

After the 90 days have elapsed, the court will re-evaluate whether to extend the house arrest or if the controversial former leader should go back to jail.

While at home, Bolsonaro will have to wear an electronic ankle monitor and will be prohibited from using a cell phone, social media or recording any video or audio.

He will be allowed visits from family members, lawyers and doctors.

- Long medical history -

Bolsonaro, who served as president from 2019-2022, had been under house arrest before the official start of his sentence but was moved to prison after he took a soldering iron to his ankle monitoring bracelet in what the court saw as an escape attempt.

His lung infection is the most recent episode in a long medical history that dates back to 2018, when he was stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign event.

Since then, Bolsonaro has undergone multiple surgeries and suffers from recurring bouts of hiccups, sometimes accompanied by vomiting. The infection that landed him in the hospital was a consequence of an aspiration pneumonia linked to those aftereffects.

The doctor said earlier this week that recovery from bronchopneumonia, which includes the risk of scar tissue forming in the lungs during healing, could take between six weeks and six months.

Bolsonaro's return home comes less than seven months before October's presidential elections.

Bolsonaro chose his eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, as the right-wing candidate to face the leftist Lula, who is 80 and seeking a fourth term.

The latest polls show a virtual tie between the two in a potential runoff election.

O.Gauthier--SMC