Brazil's ex-president Bolsonaro hospitalized in Florida
January 10, 2023
Brazil's former President Jair Bolsonaro tweeted a photo of himself from a hospital, a day after his supporters drew international condemnation by invading the country's most important seats of power.
Bolsonaro, who lost Brazil's presidential election at the end of October, went into voluntary exile ahead of the transfer of power to his successor Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
What's wrong with Bolsonaro?
The 67-year-old is apparently suffering from stomach complaints.
Bolsonaro was stabbed in the abdomen in a 2018 attack that nearly claimed his life.
He has undergone multiple surgeries since the attack, which happened during his eventually successful election campaign.
The former Brazilian president tweeted that "Yesterday I had new adhesions" and was hospitalized "in Orlando/USA."
What are the accusations against him?
Newly-elected President Lula accuses Bolsonaro of stoking riots in which supporters stormed and trashed the National Assembly, Supreme Court, and the presidential palace.
Bolsonaro has denied that he incited the attacks, but defended the right to "peaceful protests."
Security forces cleared protest camps Monday, arresting some 1,500 people.
US President Joe Biden is now facing mounting pressure to remove Bolsonaro from his self-imposed exile in the southern US state.
Democratic Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said the US should no longer give refuge to Bolsonaro.
"Nearly two years to the day the US Capitol was attacked by fascists, we see fascist movements abroad attempt to do the same in Brazil," she tweeted.
However, Brazilian Justice Minister Flavio Dino said on Monday that Brazil had no plans to ask the US for Bolsonaro to be extradited.
The attacks prompted comparisons with the January 6, 2021 storming of the US Congress by supporters of then-outgoing President Donald Trump.
Dino said there were "two key differences" between the attacks in the US and Brazil.
"We had zero deaths, and more people were arrested," he said.
rc/rs (Reuters, AFP, dpa)