Bolsonaro Hospitalized Again After Coup-Conviction; Son Reports Vomiting, Low Blood Pressure

Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was taken to a hospital in Brasilia on Tuesday after feeling unwell, his son said, marking the second time the ex-leader has been hospitalized since a Supreme Court panel last week found him guilty of attempting a coup.

Sen. Flávio Bolsonaro wrote on X that his father experienced "a severe bout of hiccups, vomiting, and low blood pressure" and that police escorted him to the hospital. Bolsonaro had been treated at the same Brasilia facility on Sunday for skin lesions; physicians then reported iron-deficiency anemia and signs of recent pneumonia.

A panel of justices at Brazil's Supreme Court found Bolsonaro guilty of trying to illegally remain in power after his 2022 electoral defeat to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and sentenced him to 27 years and three months in prison. The sentence does not automatically send Bolsonaro to jail: the court panel has up to 60 days to publish the ruling, and once it is published Bolsonaro's lawyers have five days to file motions for clarification.

Bolsonaro, 70, has denied wrongdoing and called the proceedings political persecution. He has been under house arrest since early August after Justice Alexandre de Moraes said Bolsonaro violated precautionary measures tied to the case. He has been monitored with an ankle bracelet and, in late August, de Moraes ordered stepped-up security measures, including inspections of vehicles leaving Bolsonaro's residence and police patrols of its exterior.

Legal teams for the former president are expected to cite his recent health problems in arguments seeking continued house arrest rather than incarceration in a detention center. Bolsonaro has been hospitalized multiple times since being stabbed at a 2018 campaign rally. Earlier this year he underwent surgery for a bowel obstruction.

The hospital visits this month come amid heightened political attention at home and abroad. U.S. President Donald Trump has criticized the trial, calling it a "witch hunt," and in July imposed tariffs of 50% on some Brazilian goods, citing the case against Bolsonaro among other bilateral concerns.

The Supreme Court's verdict is part of a broader set of cases and investigations that have shadowed Bolsonaro since leaving office. Prosecutors and judges in Brazil have investigated actions and statements by the ex-president and his allies related to the post-election period. Supporters of Bolsonaro staged protests and have alleged irregularities in the legal process, while opponents say the judiciary is upholding the rule of law.

With formal publication of the court's decision still pending, legal and medical developments will likely shape the immediate next steps. If the ruling is published within the 60-day window, Bolsonaro's defense will have a short timeframe to file procedural motions that could delay enforcement of the sentence. Meanwhile, health authorities and his legal team have signaled that medical issues will figure prominently in arguments over where and how he must serve any sentence.

Brazilian authorities have not released detailed clinical findings beyond the statements from Bolsonaro's son and the earlier hospital report of anemia and signs of pneumonia. Police have continued to enforce the restrictions ordered by Justice de Moraes, and the judiciary has indicated it will follow statutory procedures in processing appeals and motions tied to the panel's decision.

As the legal process proceeds, the combination of medical updates and court filings is expected to drive public attention and political debate in Brazil, where Bolsonaro remains a polarizing figure and potential factor in future electoral politics.