Brasilia, Sep 18 (IANS) — Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been discharged from a hospital in Brasilia after undergoing treatment for skin cancer, the DF Star Hospital confirmed on Wednesday.
Bolsonaro had been admitted on Tuesday with symptoms of vomiting, dizziness, and low blood pressure. Doctors conducted a pathological examination of eight skin lesions, two of which were diagnosed as “squamous cell carcinoma in situ.” He was treated with intravenous infusion, and while his condition has improved, the hospital said he will require regular clinical follow-ups and reviews.
The former president returned home around noon, where he remains under house arrest.
Bolsonaro’s legal troubles have mounted in recent weeks. On September 11, Brazil’s Supreme Federal Court sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison for his alleged role in an attempted coup in 2022. Earlier, on August 4, the court had ordered his house arrest for violating restrictions linked to the investigation.
Separately, on September 16, a Federal Regional Court in Porto Alegre ordered Bolsonaro to pay one million reais (about $188,000) in damages and issue a public apology for racist remarks made during a 2021 broadcast. In that broadcast, he compared a supporter’s afro hairstyle to a “cockroach breeding ground” and suggested it contained lice.
Judges ruled the remarks were racist and not protected under freedom of expression. Judge Rogerio Fraveto noted they carried “offensive and discriminatory content toward the black population” and contributed to the perpetuation of “white supremacy.” The defense’s claim that the comments were a “joke” was rejected.
The damages ruling can still be appealed in a higher court.
