BRASILIA – Brazil’s former president Jair Bolsonaro, convicted last week of leading an attempted coup, has been diagnosed with skin cancer, his doctor said Wednesday (Thursday Manila time).
The announcement came as the beleaguered far-right leader, 70, was discharged from a hospital in the capital Brasilia where he was rushed under prison guard Tuesday after suffering violent bouts of hiccups, vomiting and low blood pressure.
Bolsonaro has had multiple health issues and operations in recent years due to complications following a 2018 stabbing in his abdomen while campaigning for president.
The latest episode comes after his conviction last week on charges that he plotted to overthrow leftist rival Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who beat him in 2022 presidential elections.
Bolsonaro’s lawyers have said they will appeal the conviction, for which he was sentenced to 27 years in prison.
Brazilian legislators are also pressing for Bolsonaro to be included in an amnesty bill that would benefit those who participated in the uprising — but the bill faces an uphill battle for legislative approval, and could be subject to a presidential veto.
In a medical bulletin, the DF Star hospital in Brasilia said Bolsonaro had arrived “dehydrated, with elevated heart rate and a drop in blood pressure.”
“Exams showed persistent anemia and impaired kidney function.”
He was discharged after treatment led to an improvement in his symptoms.
Bolsonaro reported multiple health woes during the judicial process against him and missed the verdict phase of his trial.
On Sunday, he visited the hospital to have eight skin lesions removed and sent for biopsies.
