Bolsonaro began serving a 27-year sentence in the coup attempt case
Brazil's Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered former President Jair Bolsonaro to begin serving his prison sentence in the coup attempt case, as the politician has exhausted all options for appealing the verdict, writes the BBC.
Bolsonaro, sentenced to 27 years and three months in prison, will serve his sentence on the territory of the Federal Police headquarters in the country's capital, Brasilia, where he was taken last week.
According to Brazilian media, the 70-year-old Bolsonaro is being held in a small 12 sq. m cell, which has a TV, a small refrigerator and air conditioning.
The Supreme Court rejected an appeal against his sentence earlier this month, and on Tuesday ruled that the sentence was final.
Bolsonaro was convicted in September after being found guilty of conspiring to prevent Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva from taking office as president after the 2022 election.
Prosecutors said the conspiracy failed only due to a lack of support from the top military leadership.
Bolsonaro was under house arrest in a residential complex in Brasilia, but was taken into custody last weekend as authorities considered him a flight risk.
According to a ruling by Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, the detention was necessary as a preventive measure due to Bolsonaro's attempt to damage his electronic ankle bracelet, and his son Flavio's call for a public protest at the home where the former president was living.
De Moraes stated that there were signs that Bolsonaro might try to escape during this action. According to the judge, the US Embassy is located near the residential complex, and the politician may have intended to seek political asylum there.
Bolsonaro admitted that he damaged the electronic bracelet with a soldering iron and said that such behavior was a consequence of taking medication. He denied attempting to escape.
Previously, the former president's lawyers appealed to the Supreme Court asking to allow him to serve his entire sentence under house arrest for humanitarian reasons.
They asked to allow Bolsonaro to leave his home for visits to the doctor, stating that their client requires regular treatment. On Tuesday, Judge de Moraes ordered that Bolsonaro be provided with round-the-clock medical care.
After visiting Bolsonaro on Tuesday, his son Carlos described his father as an "extremely weak and psychologically broken" man.
"He eats very little - a person who knows that he has not committed a crime cannot consider this normal," AFP quotes him as saying.
Bolsonaro, who was President of Brazil from 2019 to 2022, has repeatedly claimed that he is innocent and is a victim of political persecution.
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