Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro hospitalized

Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro speaks in Brasilia, Brazil. (Photo: AFP/VNA)

According to AFP, local media reported that Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro was urgently hospitalized on the morning of January 3 (local time), apparently to treat intestinal obstruction.

President Bolsonaro, 66, was admitted to Vila Nova Star Hospital in Sao Paulo. Mr Bolsonaro has been in power since 2019.

In August 2021, Brazil's Supreme Electoral Tribunal (TSE) accused President Jair Bolsonaro of disseminating secret police documents and asked the Supreme Court to open an investigation into the matter.

This is the latest move in the context of the relationship between the Brazilian leader and the judiciary that has been escalating in recent times.

In addition to being accused of leaking confidential documents, President Bolsonaro is also facing another legal challenge when the Association of Indigenous Peoples of Brazil (APIB) on the same day asked the International Criminal Court (ICC) to investigate the Brazilian leader for decisions related to environmental issues.

APIB accused Mr Bolsonaro of policies that have increased deforestation of the Amazon rainforest, cut funding for environmental protection programs, and facilitated agricultural and mining activities in indigenous reserves and other protected lands, which threaten the livelihoods of indigenous communities.

According to VNA