Bolsonaro leaves hospital, calls for amnesty for supporters jailed over 2023 Brazil riots

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro discharged from hospital, calls for amnesty for supporters jailed after election defeat.

Former Brazil President Jair Bolsonaro was discharged from a hospital on Sunday (May 4, 2025) and renewed calls for amnesty for supporters jailed over the January 2023 storming of Government buildings following his election defeat.

The 70-year-old had said earlier on social media that he would leave the hospital after a three-week stay due to major abdominal surgery to treat an intestinal obstruction.

“What hurts the most is seeing innocent people with sentences of up to 17 years in prison,” Mr. Bolsonaro told reporters and supporters outside the DF Star Hospital in Brasilia.

“Some say amnesty is forgiveness and what happened is unforgivable. But there was no bloodshed, no firearms – nothing,” added the far-right leader.

“I’m going home renewed. My next challenge: joining the Peaceful March for Humanitarian Amnesty on Wednesday, May 7,” he wrote on X.

However, his surgeon, Claudio Birolini, said he had advised Mr. Bolsonaro not to take part in the march in person, citing a recovery period of three to four weeks, a soft diet and the need to avoid crowds and physical efforts.

Mr. Bolsonaro was hospitalised for his sixth surgery related to a 2018 stabbing. He was admitted to a hospital in Brasilia after experiencing severe abdominal pain during a political event in Brazil’s northeast.