Jailhouse Shock: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars
He fought the law and the legal system triumphed.
A couple of months following being handed a 27-year sentence for seeking to “destroy” the nation's political system, former president Jair Bolsonaro now appears destined for incarceration.
Expected Jailing
The convicted plotter – who had been under home confinement in his estate while a set of court processes and appeals unfold – is largely predicted to be jailed in the coming days, amidst mounting rumors that he will be moved to a notorious maximum security prison.
Previous Remarks on Prisoners
Throughout Bolsonaro’s long political career, the conservative ex- military man exhibited minimal compassion for Brazil’s prison population.
“What’s the need to offer these scoundrels a easy time?” he once mused. “They deserve to be screwed, period. That’s what I reckon.”
In another instance, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Unless you desire to end up behind bars, you simply need is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”
Incarceration Facility Discussion
But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, four of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious bid to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.
The senator, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, said he anticipated the 70-year-old figure to be incarcerated in the following week and a half and worried his destination could be Papuda.
The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal ailments – the result of a near-fatal assault during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to cope if they take him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he commented, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the quality of jail cuisine.
During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells accommodating 40 detainees: “It's practically one square meter per inmate.
“We conversed to the prisoners and they complain, of course, of the terrible food,” continued the senator.
Backers Voice Concerns
The senator isn't the lone figure voicing opinions before the ex-leader's predicted imprisonment.
Writing in a major daily, a different supporter, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and claimed Brazil was about to see “the largest political injustice in its record”.
“This is an unfairness that gnaws the hearts of countless of Brazilians,” he stated.
Varied Popular Response
This could be true due to the substantial following Bolsonaro holds on the conservative side. But his predicted jailing has also pleased the spirits of numerous other people who think he should be imprisoned for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and also plotting to have him murdered.
The lawmaker, a representative for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, said: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in solitary confinement. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to receive respectful treatment – but proper treatment while incarcerated. He can’t persist being his personal jailer for his whole life.”
Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have long celebrating the tough treatment of prisoners, had suddenly woken up to their privileges. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has consistently claimed that human rights are not for lawbreakers – chosen to visit a penitentiary to discover what situations are actually like,” he said.
“The former president is a lawbreaker,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, demeaning treatment”.
Likely Prison Conditions
Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his more likely destination appears to be a nearby jail for officers and other “special” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
His potential cell are far more comfortable than those in the main prison, although nonetheless a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the spectacular presidential palace, approximately 20 kilometers away.
As per information, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha is about 24 square meters – roughly the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 square meter veranda. “He could be allowed to have a set and even a small fridge in his room as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” sources stated.
Partisan Reactions
He condemned the rumoured proposal to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his future in the {