Former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro has been discharged from the hospital after a series of medical operations and is set to return to prison as a court denied his plea for house arrest. The right-wing leader, aged 70, will be taken back to the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasilia, where he is serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup following his loss in the 2022 presidential election. Despite his request for humanitarian house arrest being rejected by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, Bolsonaro is now back in custody. Bolsonaro was hospitalized last week for chronic hiccups and double hernia surgery, an aftermath of the severe injuries from a stabbing during the 2018 election campaign.

Since late November, Bolsonaro, who held office from 2019 to 2022, has been behind bars for over 27 years after being found guilty of conspiring to overthrow the government led by his successor, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. Moraes emphasized that Bolsonaro did not fulfill the legal criteria for house arrest, citing an incident where the former president attempted to evade monitoring by damaging his electronic ankle bracelet. The judge clarified that Bolsonaro’s health had not deteriorated but had shown signs of improvement following recent surgeries. The report from his medical team highlighted better health conditions post-surgeries despite his ongoing complaints.

This turn of events marks another chapter in the legal saga surrounding Bolsonaro’s imprisonment, adding to the political turbulence in Brazil. As public opinion remains divided on Bolsonaro’s actions and legal battles, the country faces uncertainty about its political landscape and the implications of a former president serving a lengthy sentence. The decision to deny house arrest sets a precedent for the handling of high-profile cases involving prominent political figures in Brazil, raising questions about accountability and the rule of law in the nation’s judiciary system.