Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro seeks house arrest for prison time citing health issues

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SAO PAULO (AP) — Brazil’s former President Jair Bolsonaro ’s lawyers on Friday petitioned the Supreme Court requesting that he serve his prison time under house arrest, citing poor health.

Bolsonaro was convicted in September of attempting a coup following his 2022 electoral defeat and was sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison. Earlier this month, the Supreme Court unanimously rejected an appeal from his legal team, though another is expected to come this week.

He has been under house arrest since August after the Supreme Court ruled he violated precautionary measures imposed on him. The former president still has not begun serving his sentence in the coup attempt trial.

The lawyers said that Bolsonaro’s medical reports show he needs strict checking of his blood pressure and heart rate, regular tests and specific medications, in addition to frequent visits from multiple specialists, including a cardiologist, pulmonologist and gastroenterologist.

“If the petitioner is sent to prison, his health will be at risk and he will not receive the medical care he needs,” the attorneys said in the petition, reviewed by The Associated Press.

They also mentioned a recent inspection by the Public Defender’s Office, which said that conditions at a detention center in Brasilia, where he might be ordered to serve his time, are precarious.

Bolsonaro has been hospitalized multiple times since being stabbed at a campaign event before the 2018 presidential election. In April, he underwent surgery for a bowel obstruction.

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