Prison Shock: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Life Behind Bars
He fought the law and the law triumphed.
A couple of months following receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “annihilate” the nation's political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last appears jail-bound.
Imminent Imprisonment
The convicted plotter – who had been living under home confinement in his estate while a series of court processes and petitions proceed – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the next few days, during increasing rumors that he will be sent to a well-known high-security prison.
Historical Statements on Prisoners
During Bolsonaro’s four-decade political career, the conservative ex- military man exhibited scant compassion for the country's jailed individuals.
“What’s the need to provide these scoundrels a good life?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, end of story. That's my view.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to end up behind bars, you simply need is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”
Jail Facility Discussion
But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, a group of four this week toured the complex in an obvious attempt to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.
The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was one of the visitors, said he expected the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his destination could be Papuda.
Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious digestive issues – the consequence of a almost deadly stabbing during the last presidential campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He won’t be able to handle it if they move him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the standard of jail cuisine.
When inspecting Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells containing 40 prisoners: “It's practically one meter squared per inmate.
“We spoke to the inmates and they protest, naturally, of the awful food,” remarked the senator.
Allies Voice Concerns
The senator isn't the only voice speaking out ahead of the former president’s expected incarceration.
Writing in a prominent daily, a different supporter, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” public service and claimed Brazil was about to see “the biggest wrong in its record”.
“It is an unfairness that gnaws the hearts of millions Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.
Mixed General Reaction
It is possibly true considering the considerable following Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. However his expected incarceration has also gladdened the hearts of numerous other people who think he should be imprisoned for plotting to block the incoming president from becoming president – and even plotting to have him murdered.
Congressman Otoni, a politician for the incumbent president's allied group, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. No one wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain proper care – but respectful handling in prison. He can’t carry on being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”
The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have long praising the severe treatment of prisoners, had abruptly woken up to their privileges. “Only now has the conservative fringe – which has repeatedly asserted that basic rights should not be for criminals – decided to visit a prison to learn what circumstances are actually like,” he said.
“Bolsonaro is a lawbreaker,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, insulting treatment”.
Possible Prison Conditions
Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about 14,000 detainees, his more likely destination appears to be a adjacent prison for police officers and other “unique” detainees called Papudinha (Small Papuda).
The accommodations are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while occupying the impressive official residence, around a short distance away.
Based on reports, the room Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – about the area of a couple of car spots – and includes a 12 sq metre restroom with a bathing area and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be allowed to have a television and additionally a minibar in his cell as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” information stated.
Partisan Comments
The lawmaker denounced the rumoured idea to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who led Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his future in the {