Brazil's prosecutor-general has endorsed a request by former President Jair Bolsonaro to temporarily leave house arrest for shoulder surgery, according to Metrópoles. The opinion from Prosecutor-General Paulo Gonet was issued after Supreme Federal Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes asked for the federal prosecution service's view on the defense request.
The case now depends on Moraes, who must decide whether Bolsonaro can be taken to a hospital in the Federal District while remaining subject to the restrictions already imposed by the court. Bolsonaro's lawyers had asked for the procedure to take place this week, and the report said it could still occur on Saturday, April 25, if approved.
Medical Basis
According to the filing described by Metrópoles, Bolsonaro's defense says he continues to suffer persistent pain in his right shoulder and limited movement despite continuous use of painkillers. The report says the pain worsens at night and that exams found severe rotator cuff injuries along with related damage.
His lawyers told the court that a specialist formally recommended arthroscopic surgery to repair the right shoulder's rotator cuff and associated lesions. Arthroscopy is a camera-guided surgical technique that is less invasive than open surgery. The defense argued that the operation is a concrete therapeutic necessity, not a matter of personal convenience.
Metrópoles also cited a physiotherapy report saying Bolsonaro had already been experiencing shoulder pain before leaving the hospital on March 27. According to that report, he showed restricted arm elevation, loss of strength and postural asymmetry, with the right shoulder sitting lower than the left.
House Arrest Conditions
Bolsonaro has been under house arrest since March 27, when he was discharged from the hospital, according to the report. Metrópoles said Moraes imposed a 90-day initial period with several restrictions, including a ban on cellphone use and on receiving visitors.
The report said those limits were justified as a way to reduce infection risk and control possible sepsis during recovery. Bolsonaro is living at home with his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, his youngest daughter, Laura Bolsonaro, and his stepdaughter, Letícia Firmino.
Gonet's position, as described by Metrópoles, was that the medical exams and physiotherapy documentation support the defense request and that there is no obstacle to Bolsonaro's temporary transfer to a hospital, provided the court's precautionary measures remain in place.
Legal Context
The surgery request comes months after Bolsonaro's conviction by a panel of Brazil's Supreme Federal Court (STF), the country's highest constitutional court. Metrópoles said he was sentenced in September 2025 to 27 years and three months in prison for leading an alleged coup plot aimed at staying in power after his 2022 election defeat.
That broader legal backdrop helps explain why even a medical procedure requires court approval. Bolsonaro is not seeking a change in sentence conditions, only authorization to undergo treatment outside his residence under judicial supervision.
This article is based on single-source reporting from Metrópoles. No parallel source was provided here to independently confirm the medical records, the prosecutor's filing or the expected timing of Moraes's decision.
accessed on 24 April 2026