Brazil's imprisoned Bolsonaro hospitalized ahead of surgery

AFP journalists saw a convoy of black cars escorted by motorcycles enter the parking garage of the DF Star hospital ahead of Bolsonaro's surgery Thursday.

It was unclear how long he would remain hospitalized.

The permission to leave prison granted by Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who oversaw Bolsonaro's trial, comes after an expert review last week stated that the operation was medically necessary.

Bolsonaro, 70, has grappled with health issues since being stabbed in the stomach during the 2018 presidential campaign. He was recently diagnosed with skin cancer.

His surgery on Thursday will repair an inguinal hernia, a protrusion in the groin area due to a tear in the abdominal muscles.

Bolsonaro had undergone another surgery at DF Star in April.

The ex-president began serving a 27-year sentence in late November at federal police headquarters in Brasilia.

In office from 2019 to 2022, he was sentenced by the Supreme Court in September to prison after being found guilty of having led a scheme to prevent President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from taking office and to retain power.

He has maintained his innocence, declaring he was a victim of political persecution.

-- 'Christmas present' --

Moraes has ordered a significant security detail to surround the former president during his hospitalization.

Two police officers are to be stationed 24 hours a day outside his hospital room, where mobile phones and computers are prohibited.

Bolsonaro's wife, Michelle, is authorized to be with him during his hospital stay, but not his sons.

One of them, Carlos Bolsonaro, a former city councilman in Rio de Janeiro, nevertheless showed up at the hospital entrance to "send good energy" to his father.

"If I manage to catch a glimpse of him, it will be a wonderful Christmas present," he told reporters shortly before the former head of state arrived at the hospital.

His eldest son, Senator Flavio Bolsonaro, recently announced his candidacy for the October 2026 presidential election, claiming that his father had designated him as his successor.

Last week, the conservative-majority Parliament passed a law that could reduce the length of Bolsonaro's imprisonment to just over two years.

Lula says he intends to veto the law, but Parliament will have the final say, as it has the right to override a presidential veto.