By Micah Jonah
16 January 2026
Former Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro has been transferred to a more spacious cell in Brasilia’s Papuda Penitentiary Complex, following an order from Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes.
Bolsonaro, serving a 27-year sentence for plotting a coup to remain in power after losing the 2022 election, had been held in a smaller cell at Brazil’s Federal Police Superintendency.
The Supreme Court said the transfer would allow Bolsonaro better access to medical care and weekly family visits. The new cell, located in a building known as Papudinha, measures about 65 square meters and includes a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen, living area, and outdoor space. He will serve his sentence alone.
Bolsonaro’s legal team did not immediately comment. His sons, Carlos and Eduardo Bolsonaro, criticized the decision on social media, arguing he should be placed under house arrest.
The former president, who has previously undergone multiple surgeries after a stabbing during his 2018 campaign, had requested “humanitarian house arrest,” which the court denied, citing risk of flight.
