Imprisoned former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro is undergoing two hernia surgeries

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro underwent double hernia surgery on Thursday, his family said.

In an Instagram post, Bolsonaro’s wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, said the operation was successful. The procedure in Brasilia, the country’s capital, took about 3½ hours and was completed without complications, according to the family.

Bolsonaro, who has been hospitalized since Wednesday, has been working at the hospital A sentence of 27 years in prison since November with coup attempts.

He was granted bail by the court after police doctors confirmed he needed the procedure.

“It’s a complicated operation,” said Dr. Claudio Birolini on Wednesday, according to Agence France-Presse. “But it’s a routine… scheduled surgery, so we expect the procedure to be done without major complications.”

Doctors say Bolsonaro’s double hernia is the cause of the pain. The previous leader, who was in power between 2019 and 2022, still has it he went through several more surgeries since he was stabbed in the stomach while campaigning in 2018.

Judge Alexandre de Moraes, who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and sentenced him to prison, approved the procedure but rejected the former president’s request for house arrest after he leaves the hospital.

Bolsonaro has no contact with the few other prisoners at police headquarters in Brasilia, where he is being held and where his 130-square-meter room has a bed, private bathroom, air conditioning, a television and a desk, according to authorities.

He has free access to his doctors and lawyers, but other visitors must obtain permission from the Supreme Court. On Wednesday, de Moraes authorized Bolsonaro’s sons to visit him while he was in hospital.

After Thursday’s surgery, doctors will check whether Bolsonaro can do another procedure: blocking the phrenic nerve, which controls the diaphragm, due to repeated hiccups, Birolini said.

On Thursday morning, his eldest son, Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro, told the media before the operation that his father wrote a letter confirming that he has chosen him as the presidential candidate of his political party in next year’s elections. Flávio Bolsonaro announced on December 5 that he will challenge President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, who is seeking a fourth consecutive term, as the candidate of the Bolsonaro Liberal Party.

The senator read the letter to reporters, and his office released a copy of it to the media.

“He represents the continuation of the path of prosperity that I started well before becoming president, as I believe that we must return the responsibility of leading Brazil with justice, determination and loyalty to the wishes of the Brazilian people,” said Bolsonaro in a handwritten letter, dated December 25.

The former president and several of his allies were convicted by a panel of Supreme Court judges of attempting to overthrow Brazil’s democratic system following his defeat in the 2022 elections.

The plot also included plans to kill Lula, Vice President Geraldo Alckmin and de Moraes. There was also a plan to encourage an uprising in early 2023.

Bolsonaro was also convicted of charges including leading an armed criminal organization and attempting to violently end democracy. He denied doing anything wrong.