Defense lawyers for former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro submitted an explosive emergency motion Tuesday, demanding his instant removal from federal prison and transfer to a top-tier civilian hospital where surgeons can perform critical operations that lawyers claim have become unavoidable after weeks of deteriorating health in custody.

The 70-page filing, exclusively reviewed by Reuters, details multiple urgent surgical procedures the former leader now requires, procedures that cannot be safely conducted inside the spartan medical wing of the Federal Police Superintendency in Brasília where Bolsonaro has been locked in a solitary high-security cell since beginning his crushing 27-year sentence last month.

Attorneys argue that prolonged detention without immediate specialist intervention constitutes cruel and inhumane treatment, renewing their fierce push for full humanitarian house arrest equipped with electronic monitoring, citing Bolsonaro’s age, documented history of serious illnesses, and the stark contrast between prison conditions and constitutional guarantees of dignified treatment for all citizens.

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The dramatic health alarm follows Bolsonaro’s historic conviction for masterminding the failed 2023 military coup attempt to illegally remain in power after losing the 2022 election to leftist rival Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, a verdict that not only imprisoned the once-unstoppable far-right icon but also banned him from public office until 2038 and shattered his political movement.

With federal judges now racing to rule on the life-or-death hospital transfer request, hundreds of die-hard supporters have formed permanent protest camps outside the Brasília detention complex while global conservative leaders flood social media with demands for clemency, turning Bolsonaro’s medical crisis into the latest flashpoint in Brazil’s bitterly divided post-coup landscape.

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