By Indianara Goz
Carlos Bolsonaro, son of former Brazilian president Jair Bolsonaro, visited his father at the Federal Police (PF) Superintendency in Brasília and said the former president is doing better. Meanwhile, Bolsonaro's defense team announced it will appeal a decision by Supreme Federal Court (STF) Justice Alexandre de Moraes to close the case in which he was convicted.
Son says Bolsonaro is in good spirits
According to Carlos, Bolsonaro appeared in good spirits and confident, had coffee, and asked the family to thank people for their prayers and messages of support. In a video posted on social media, Carlos addressed the update to "friends" and presented it as a relief for supporters.
The improvement comes at a delicate moment. At the custody hearing held on Sunday, Bolsonaro said he takes pregabalin, a drug prescribed for chronic and neurological pain, and sertraline, an antidepressant. He said he had an episode of "paranoia" and "hallucination" that he attributed to the combination of these drugs. According to him, it was in that state that he tried to open his electronic ankle monitor.
Moraes closes the case; defense responds
Justice Alexandre de Moraes, of the Supreme Federal Court (STF), Brazil's highest court, ordered the closure of the case that sentenced Bolsonaro to 27 years and 3 months in prison for a coup attempt. The defense called the decision "surprising" and said it will file embargos infringentes, a type of appeal, arguing that legal options for continuing the case still exist.
The lawyers argue the appeal is the path provided for ensuring the discussion does not end before all alternatives are exhausted. For Bolsonaro's allies, the central point is guaranteeing that the defense has room to challenge the conviction to the end.
Held since Saturday, family follows closely
Bolsonaro remains at the PF Superintendency in Brasília, where he has been held since the preventive detention ordered last Saturday. According to the family, his routine includes meals and contact with supporters through messages and hugs relayed by his son.
What changes now is the expectation about the pace of the case. With the closure ordered by Moraes and the appeal announced by the defense, the next chapter will be decided in the courts, and the family says it will keep following each step.
Why it matters
Jair Bolsonaro was Brazil's president from 2019 to 2022 and remains the central figure of the Brazilian right. His conviction and detention are among the most polarizing issues in Brazilian politics, and the question of whether he can still appeal bears directly on how his supporters view the fairness of the process.
VDD Analysis
The son's account and the defense's reaction highlight a point that cannot be ignored: the right to appeal. A 27-year sentence demands that every legal avenue be handled with rigor, and Bolsonaro's family has the right to demand transparency about the health of a former president in custody. When the courts close a case with an appeal still open, the sense of legal insecurity grows and feeds the distrust of millions of Brazilians about the balance of judicial decisions.
