Published on March 16, 2026 — Updated with the latest medical bulletins.
Sentenced to 27 years in prison for attempted coup d’état, Jair Bolsonaro, the former Brazilian president known in particular for having insulted Brigitte Macron, was urgently hospitalized on March 13, 2026, after a health scare in his cell. He has been placed in intensive care at the private DF Star clinic in Brasilia and is suffering from bacterial bronchopneumonia. Here is the complete update on his health as of March 16.
A sudden health scare in his cell on March 13
It was from the Papuda penitentiary complex in Brasilia, where he has been incarcerated since November 8, 2025, that Jair Bolsonaro experienced a health scare on the morning of Friday, March 13. His wife Michelle Bolsonaro was the first to alert public opinion via Instagram, detailing the symptoms that appeared suddenly: high fever, drop in oxygen saturation, profuse sweating, and chills.
Quickly assisted by the prison staff, the 70-year-old former head of state was transferred urgently to the private DF Star clinic in Brasilia, where tests confirmed a diagnosis of bronchopneumonia. He was immediately placed in intensive care unit.
A stable but concerning condition
According to successive medical bulletins published since his admission, Jair Bolsonaro’s condition is clinically stable, but doctors have noted several concerning signals:
- Deterioration of renal function observed on March 14
- Elevation of inflammatory markers
- Increased antibiotic treatment to combat the bacterial pneumonia
- Signs of gradual improvement starting from March 15 (third day in intensive care)
📋 Last update (March 16): The hospital indicated that Bolsonaro’s condition has stabilized and that his renal function has shown signs of improvement. However, doctors have maintained the increased antibiotic treatment.
The aftermath of the stabbing in 2018, a direct cause
The pulmonary infection is not coincidental. It is a direct consequence of a bronchoaspiration episode, a recurring disorder that Bolsonaro has suffered from since 2018. That year, during the election campaign, he was stabbed in the abdomen at a rally in Juiz de Fora. He narrowly survived this attack and underwent numerous surgical operations in the months and years that followed.
Since then, the former president has been permanently weakened: he regularly suffers from hiccup and vomiting attacks that can last several days — symptoms that his doctors identify as the direct cause of the current pneumonia. In December 2025, he had already been hospitalized for an inguinal hernia, an operation deemed successful by his entourage.
Still behind bars despite his family’s requests
His eldest son Flavio Bolsonaro, candidate for the presidential election in October 2026, has not hidden his anger since his father’s hospitalization. “They are playing with my father’s life,” he told journalists. “He should at least be granted house arrest, to receive care permanently with his family. Where he is, his health tends to worsen.”
The Brazilian Supreme Court has repeatedly rejected defense requests to allow Bolsonaro to serve his sentence at home. Once recovered, the former president will therefore have to return to his cell in the Papuda complex — a 65 m² space designed for four people, with kitchen, television, double bed, and private outdoor area.
A tense political context
This hospitalization comes amid a particularly charged political context in Brazil. Sentenced in September 2025 to 27 years in prison for attempting to illegally maintain power after his defeat in the 2022 election against Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, Bolsonaro remains a central figure of the Brazilian right. Brazil will hold a presidential election in October 2026, and according to the latest polls from the Datafolha institute, his son Flavio Bolsonaro and President Lula are neck and neck in a potential runoff.
The former president’s health condition could also influence the terms of his detention, according to some Brazilian judicial observers.
Reminder: the insult to Brigitte Macron
Jair Bolsonaro is known in France for a controversial incident that remains memorable: in 2019, on social media, he shared a comment from an internet user comparing Brigitte Macron to Emmanuel Macron, implying that the French First Lady was less attractive than his own wife Michelle. Far from apologizing, Bolsonaro stood by his comments, causing a tense diplomatic rift between Brasilia and Paris.
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