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Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was allowed to leave prison to undergo surgery on Christmas Day, after approval from Brazil’s Supreme Court, according to court documents.
Bolsonaro currently serves a sentence of 27 years in prison for plotting a coup after losing the last elections in 2022.
Judge Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday authorized Bolsonaro to temporarily leave prison and be transferred to hospital on Wednesday for a hernia operation on December 25.
Bolsonaro, 70, faced persistent health complications since he was stabbed in the abdomen during a 2018 presidential campaign.
In April, the former right-wing president underwent intestinal surgery. In November, Judge Moraes, who also oversaw his trial, ordered that Bolsonaro receive full-time medical care.
Flávio Bolsonaro, the son of the former president, posted a video on Wednesday with the caption: “Keep praying for the president.”
Bolsonaro was convicted in September of plotting a coup after losing the 2022 election to his left-wing rival, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
The former leader is serving his sentence in a federal police prison in Brasilia, the capital, after being deemed a flight risk and removed from house arrest.
Earlier this month, tens of thousands of people gathered in Brazil’s main cities to protest against a bill trying to significantly reduce the time Bolsonaro spends in prison.
Lawmakers passed the bill last week after it was approved by the lower house. Legal experts say this could reduce Bolsonaro’s sentence to less than three years.
In response, Brazilian President Lula promised to veto the bill.
“With all due respect to Congress, when it comes to my desk, I will veto it,” Lula told reporters last week, while acknowledging that his veto could be overridden by the largely conservative Congress.
US President Donald Trump, who previously called the investigation into Bolsonaro a “witch hunt”, welcomed the passage of the bill. The United States too sanctions lifted which was entrusted to Judge Moraes in July.
