Convicted and suffering from health problems, Bolsonaro is diagnosed with skin cancer

Former President Jair Bolsonaro (PL), convicted last week of attempted coup d'état, was diagnosed with skin cancer, his doctor announced this Wednesday (17).

Bolsonaro, 70, has "squamous cell carcinoma, which is neither the kindest nor the most aggressive, it's intermediate, but it's still a type of skin cancer that can have more serious consequences," doctor Cláudio Birolini told reporters.

Shortly before, the former president had left the DF Star hospital in Brasília, where he had been hospitalized since Tuesday after feeling unwell, an AFP photographer found.

The leader of the right and extreme right was sentenced last week by the First Chamber of the Supreme Federal Court (STF) to 27 years in prison for plotting a coup d'état against his opponent, President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

He has been under preventive house arrest since August, under strict police surveillance.

– Periodic assessment –

In a bulletin, DF Star reported that Bolsonaro arrived at the hospital on Tuesday “dehydrated, with an elevated heart rate and a drop in blood pressure.”

“Tests showed persistent anemia and changes in kidney function,” he added.

After being treated with hydration and intravenous medication, his symptoms improved and the former president was discharged, the hospital later announced.

He will remain under medical supervision, the medical center continued.

The cancer diagnosis, however, is related to the tests Bolsonaro underwent last Sunday, when several suspicious skin lesions were removed.

"Of the seven lesions, two were positive" for carcinoma, said Birolini, explaining that from now on the former president will require clinical monitoring and periodic evaluation.

– Frequent complaints of malaise –

Bolsonaro has frequently complained of feeling unwell, especially chronic hiccups and vomiting.

Some of these health problems are the result of the stab wound he suffered in the abdomen during the 2018 presidential election campaign.

Since then, he has undergone several surgeries, the last one in April to treat a bowel obstruction.

Bolsonaro did not attend the final sessions of the coup plot trial due to health problems, according to his lawyers.

Last week, the First Chamber of the Supreme Federal Court found him guilty of leading a criminal organization to remain in power, after losing the 2022 presidential elections to Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT).

The former president's defense announced that it will appeal the sentence, including in international courts.

If the conviction is confirmed, Bolsonaro could ask to serve his sentence at home if it is demonstrated that he has health problems.

Meanwhile, his allies are trying to vote in Congress on an amnesty law for their leader and the thousands of Bolsonaro supporters who participated in the attacks on the headquarters of the Three Powers in Brasília on January 8, 2023.

The administration of US President Donald Trump, which imposed high punitive tariffs on Brazil because it considers Bolsonaro the victim of a "witch hunt," has warned that it will adopt new measures following the conviction of its ally, but has not yet specified which ones.

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