Brazil's Bolsonaro to serve sentence at home due to ill health, judge to review in 90 days

Jair Bolsonaro to serve his sentence at home due to health issues, monitored by police, with a review in 90 days.

Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro will continue to serve his 27-year sentence for a coup attempt at home instead of in prison due to failing health, a judge ruled.

Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes on Tuesday (March 24, 2026) allowed the 71-year-old to return to his residence in the capital, Brasilia, after he is discharged from the hospital, but he argued in his decision that he will review the case within 90 days.

Bolsonaro will wear an ankle monitor and is not allowed to use cellphones, the judge ruled. Local police will surveil his house in a gated community, where protesters are not allowed to gather. Bolsonaro is not allowed any visitors except for doctors and family members.

The embattled leader has been hospitalised since March 13 for pneumonia, one of several health problems he has faced since he was stabbed by a man in 2018 before he was elected president.

His house imprisonment could be extended after another medical report. Legal experts say it is rare for Brazilian judges to establish limits for house imprisonment measures, which are also hard to be revoked.

Historically, Brazil's Supreme Court has only reversed house arrest if a detainee's health improves dramatically or if there's violation of the established rules, such as not making public statements, posting on social media or giving interviews to the media.