Brazil’s jailed ex-President Bolsonaro undergoes ‘successful’ surgery

According to his wife, former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a prison sentence for an attempted coup, underwent an “successful” operation to treat an inguinal hernia.

The former dictator, age 70, had his first formal medical procedure on Thursday at the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.

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“Freshly surgery was successfully performed without any complications. His wife Michelle announced in an Instagram post that they are now waiting for him to recover from anesthesia.

Since November, Bolsonaro has been in prison for a coup attempt for 27 years. After receiving a confirmation from federal police doctors that he needed the procedure, he was given the order to leave the prison.

Doctors claim Bolsonaro experiences pain as a result of his double hernia. Since being stabbed in the abdomen during a campaign rally in 2018, the former leader, who was in power between 2019 and 2022, has undergone numerous other surgeries. Recently, he was also found to have skin cancer.

The far-right president’s doctors anticipated that his hospitalization would last five to seven more days from 2019 to 2022.

An inguinal hernia, a protrusion caused by a muscle tear in the groin, was repaired during the procedure.

Dr. Claudio Birolini stated on Wednesday that “it is a complex surgery.” We anticipate that the procedure will be carried out without significant complications because it is a standardized, scheduled surgery.

According to Birolini, doctors are evaluating whether Bolsonaro can have another procedure after the operation: the blockage of the phrenic nerve, which regulates the diaphragm.

After being found guilty of leading a plot to oust President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from office and keep power, Brazil’s Supreme Court sentenced Bolsonaro to prison in September.

Bolsonaro has defended his innocence, claiming that he was the victim of political persecution.

At the federal police headquarters in Brasilia, he has been housed in a tiny room with a television, minibar, and air conditioning.

Succession

Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, Senator Bolsonaro’s eldest son, revealed to reporters shortly before the procedure that his father had confirmed to him that he had been the Liberal Party’s nominee for president in the upcoming election. On December 5, Flavio announced that he would nominate Lula for a fourth non-consecutive term.

The senator gave the letter to journalists, and his office distributed a copy to the media.

In the handwritten letter dated Thursday, Bolsonaro wrote, “He represents the continuation of the path of prosperity that I began well before I became president, as I believe we must resend the responsibility of leading Brazil with justice, resolve, and loyalty to the aspirations of the Brazilian people.”

Flavio claims the letter was intended to dispel any “doubt” about his father’s support for his presidential campaign.

“Many people claim they did not hear it or had not seen a letter from him.” After reading the letter, he said, “I believe this eliminates any doubt.”