MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Bolsonaro back in hospital after all

Flávio Bolsonaro called De Moraes a denialist of medical science

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was hospitalized on Wednesday following a head injury sustained in his jail cell. The incident has triggered a fierce legal battle after Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre De Moraes denied the retired Army captain proper assistance, citing technicalities.

See also: Bolsonaro denied hospital trip after fall

Bolsonaro, who is currently serving a prison sentence at the Federal Police (PF) headquarters, was taken to the DF Star Hospital in Brasília for tests. He reportedly fell in his sleep and hit his head on a piece of furniture.

His son, Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, claimed the former president suffered a “mild traumatic brain injury.” Additionally, former First Lady Michelle told reporters that her husband, who is 70, should be in house arrest rather than solitary confinement.

She also claimed the fall might have been caused by the medication given to him and criticized the Federal Police for a lack of “agility” in responding to medical emergencies.

Michelle Bolsonaro insisted that the rightwing leader has lived in a “zone of suffering” since the 2018 stabbing and requested to “take care of my husband” at home.

In this scenario, De Moraes annulled an inquiry opened by the Federal Council of Medicine (CFM), which sought to investigate whether the Federal Police failed to provide adequate care. The judge argued that the CFM has no jurisdiction over the Federal Police and accused the council of “flagrant illegality” and a “diversion of purpose.”

He also ordered the Federal Police to interrogate the CFM President within the next 10 days and demanded that the hospital surrender all of Bolsonaro’s medical records within 24 hours.

The magistrate further cited a PF medical report noting that all protocols followed were correct and that the hospital exams showed no lasting damage.

Senator Flávio Bolsonaro, also a presidential hopeful, called De Moraes a “denialist” of medical science and wondered whether the judge was “rooting for Bolsonaro's death,” noting that leaving a 70-year-old man locked alone in a cell 24 hours after a head injury was a violation of basic medical protocols.

President Bolsonaro's legal team is now officially petitioning for “humanitarian house arrest,” citing his age and deteriorating health as Brazil remembers the third anniversary of the Jan. 8, 2023, attempted coup d'état that the former head of State was found to have masterminded and convicted accordingly.