Minister of the STF granted temporary house arrest to the former president, who has been hospitalized since March 13
The minister of the Federal Supreme Court, Alexandre de Moraes, ordered that the former president (PL), 71 years old, return to using an electronic ankle bracelet during his period in humanitarian prison, this Tuesday (24.mar.2026). The decision takes into account the health status of the former Chief Executive, who has experienced successive medical complications in recent months.
The concession has temporary character 90 days from the day Bolsonaro is discharged. Moraes said that, according to medical literature, the total recovery time in the 2 lungs of an elderly person (the former president is 71 years old) can last from 45 to 90 days. “After this period, the presence of the necessary requirements for maintaining humanitarian house arrest will be re-analyzed, including medical expertise if necessary”said the minister. Read (PDF – 794 kB).
Moraes also determined that:
- Flávio, Carlos and Jair Renan Bolsonaro will be able to visit their father “under the same legal conditions as the prison establishment”that is, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from 8 am to 11 am, from 11 am to 1 pm and from 2 pm to 4 pm;
- Michelle, Laura Bolsonaro and Letícia Marianna Firmo da Silva (Bolsonaro’s stepdaughter) do not need authorization because they live in the same house;
- doctors will not need to ask for authorization to visit;
- if necessary, the former president may be hospitalized without the need for a prior court decision if there is medical advice;
- Bolsonaro will not be able to use a cell phone, telephone or any other means of external communication “directly or through third parties”;
- visitors’ cell phones must be kept by police officers;
- Bolsonaro will not be able to use social media or have photos and videos published while he is under house arrest.
The former president’s lawyers had filed different requests requesting the replacement of custody with home custody. They claimed clinical risk and the need for continuous medical monitoring. In the requests, the defense cited recent episodes of hospitalization, worsening of the respiratory condition and a history of diseases associated with the digestive and pulmonary systems.
Furthermore, on March 23, Attorney General Paulo Gonet defended the former president’s humanitarian house arrest due to his health condition. In the opinion, he argued that the former president demands constant attention and understands that “the family environment is capable of providing it”. Read (PDF – 9 MB).
Bolsonaro was diagnosed with bilateral bacterial bronchopneumonia caused by aspiration. According to medical reports, the former president’s health is stable and his treatment is improving, but when he was admitted to the hospital, he had a serious condition, including bacteremia, the presence of bacteria in the bloodstream, and a sharp drop in oxygen saturation, which reached 80%.
The , released this Tuesday (24.mar.2026), states that Bolsonaro “was discharged from the intensive care unit” on Monday (23rd March) “due to clinical improvement”but there is still no expected hospital discharge.
