Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro found himself back in a hospital in Brasilia on September 16, 2025, marking his second visit in just three days since being convicted on coup attempt charges. This latest episode, according to his son Flávio Bolsonaro, was prompted by a sudden bout of vomiting, low blood pressure, and what was described as a severe case of hiccups. The scene outside the hospital was tense, with local media and a handful of supporters gathering as word spread of the former president’s deteriorating health.
Bolsonaro’s health woes are nothing new. On September 14, only two days prior, he was admitted to the same hospital for treatment of skin lesions. Tests at that time revealed iron-deficiency anemia and signs of a recent pneumonia, according to reports from BBC and CTV News. These back-to-back hospitalizations have reignited concerns about the 70-year-old’s well-being, especially given his history of medical complications since a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential campaign. Since that attack, Bolsonaro has endured at least six related surgeries, including a grueling 12-hour procedure as recently as April 2025, as detailed by The Associated Press.
The timing of these medical episodes is impossible to ignore. Just last week, on September 11, 2025, a panel of Supreme Court justices found Bolsonaro guilty of plotting a coup to overturn his defeat in the 2022 presidential election. The court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison—a seismic moment in Brazilian politics that has sent shockwaves through the country’s deeply divided electorate. According to Reuters, the conviction stemmed from Bolsonaro’s alleged efforts to illegally hold onto power after losing to current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
Yet, despite the severity of the sentence, Bolsonaro is not currently behind bars. The court’s decision triggers a procedural process: the panel has up to 60 days from September 11 to publish its full ruling. Only then do Bolsonaro’s lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification. In the interim, the former president remains under house arrest, a status imposed in early August 2025 after he was found to have violated precautionary measures related to his trial. As part of these restrictions, Bolsonaro has been fitted with an ankle monitor, and authorities have ramped up security around his residence. Police now inspect all vehicles leaving his property and maintain a constant watch on the house’s exterior, as reported by BBC.
Bolsonaro’s legal team is expected to seize upon his recent health issues as grounds to argue for continued house arrest, rather than incarceration in a detention center. Their case is bolstered by his lengthy medical history: multiple hospitalizations since 2018, recurring intestinal problems, and the major surgery in April of this year to address a bowel obstruction. According to The Associated Press, Bolsonaro’s lawyers are likely to frame his health as too fragile for the rigors of prison, hoping to sway the judiciary to maintain the current arrangement.
For Bolsonaro’s supporters, the conviction and subsequent health scares are seen as part of a broader campaign of political persecution. The former president himself has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing, insisting that he is the victim of a vendetta orchestrated by his political adversaries. These claims have found an echo across the Atlantic, with U.S. President Donald Trump weighing in. Trump has called the Brazilian court proceedings a “witch hunt” and, in a move that further complicated U.S.-Brazil relations, imposed a 50% tariff on Brazilian goods in July, citing the case against Bolsonaro among other issues. This international dimension has only heightened the sense of drama and polarization surrounding the former president’s fate.
On social media, Bolsonaro’s son Flávio has been the main conduit for updates about his father’s condition. “He felt unwell with a severe bout of hiccups, vomiting, and low blood pressure,” Flávio wrote on X (formerly Twitter), adding that police had escorted his father to the hospital. The younger Bolsonaro’s posts have served to both inform supporters and stoke concerns about the fairness of the legal process, painting a picture of a beleaguered leader under siege both physically and politically.
The ex-president’s house arrest, which began in early August, has been anything but ordinary. The justice overseeing his case, Alexandre de Moraes, has kept a close watch, citing repeated violations of the court’s precautionary measures as justification for the ankle monitor and heightened surveillance. In late August, security protocols were tightened even further, with police authorized to inspect every vehicle leaving Bolsonaro’s residence and to monitor the property’s perimeter around the clock. These measures, reported by CTV News, reflect the authorities’ concern over the possibility of Bolsonaro attempting to flee or incite unrest among his base.
Meanwhile, the political landscape in Brazil remains fraught. Bolsonaro’s conviction for attempting to orchestrate a coup is unprecedented in the country’s modern history, and the severity of his sentence—27 years and three months—underscores the gravity with which the Supreme Court views his actions. Yet the court’s decision has not ended the debate. While many Brazilians see the ruling as a necessary step to defend democracy, others view it as an overreach, evidence of a judiciary bent on silencing a powerful political foe. The split is evident in public demonstrations, social media discourse, and even in the ranks of the Brazilian Congress, where Bolsonaro’s allies continue to denounce the proceedings as unfair.
Bolsonaro’s medical condition adds another layer of complexity to an already volatile situation. His repeated hospitalizations, particularly in the wake of his conviction, have fueled speculation about his ability to withstand a lengthy prison term. Supporters argue that forcing a man in such fragile health into a detention center would be both inhumane and politically incendiary. Critics, however, counter that Bolsonaro’s ailments should not exempt him from accountability, especially given the seriousness of the charges against him.
As Brazil waits for the Supreme Court to publish its official ruling, the former president’s immediate future hangs in the balance. Will his lawyers succeed in keeping him under house arrest on medical grounds, or will the court insist on incarceration once all procedures are exhausted? And what impact will this ongoing saga have on Brazil’s already polarized political climate? For now, all eyes remain on Brasilia, where Jair Bolsonaro’s fate—and perhaps the future of Brazilian democracy—will be decided in the coming weeks.
With the legal process inching forward and Bolsonaro’s health under constant scrutiny, Brazil stands at a crossroads, grappling with the legacy of a leader whose influence continues to shape the nation’s political destiny.