São Paulo, Brazil — The Brazilian ex-president Jair Bolsonaro was transferred this Thursday to a state prison after being held for more than a month in the federal police headquarters in Brasília.
Bolsonaro – along with several of his former ministers and military officials – was sentenced in September 2025 to over 27 years in jail for attempting a coup after losing the 2022 elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.
His defense team filed multiple complaints about what they described as a “small” cell that had an air conditioning noise that troubled Bolsonaro. They also requested the right-wing leader be transferred to house arrest, which was denied by the Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, responsible for the case.
The justice did however authorize the transfer to a bigger cell. The ex-president’s new living space is a 64.83 m² one-bedroom cell with a private bathroom, kitchen, outdoor area for sunbathing and space for gym equipment. Jair Bolsonaro will also be able to receive visits two days a week.
The new accommodation marks a major upgrade from Bolsonaro’s previous 12 m² cell, which was also equipped with a private bathroom, minibar, television and air conditioning. In both arrangements, the ex-president has had access to 24-hour medical care following his hospitalization in Decemberand surgery for a herniated disc.
The Brazilian Supreme Court also shared a video showing the cells and the space in Papuda Penitentiary Complex. Also known as “Papudinha”, the complex is where two Bolsonaro officials – Anderson Torres, former minister of Justice, and Silvinei Vasques, former Federal Highway patrol director – are serving prison time.
In his decision, Moraes emphasized that Bolsonaro enjoys privileges that are unavailable to the majority of Brazil’s prison population, in response to criticism from Bolsonaro’s lawyers regarding the noise of the air conditioning and the small size of the former cell.
The Supreme Court Justice also denied the request for a Smart TV connected to Youtube and streaming services.
“Regarding the request for access to a Smart TV device, the measure does not seem reasonable. Permanent connection to the World Wide Web would make it impossible to control access to social networks and communication with unauthorized third parties,” read the document from the General Prosecutor’s Office.
Featured image:
Former President Jair Bolsonaro, accompanied by his son, Jair Renan, leaves the hospital under heavy security after undergoing procedures.
