Jailhouse Surprise: The FormerPresident Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison
He battled the law and the law prevailed.
Sixty days following receiving a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “destroy” the nation's political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now seems jail-bound.
Anticipated Incarceration
The adjudicated plotter – who has been living under residential detention in his estate while a set of court processes and challenges unfold – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the coming days, amidst increasing rumors that he will be transferred to a notorious maximum security prison.
Previous Remarks on Convicts
During Bolsonaro’s 40-year public life, the right-wing former soldier displayed minimal mercy for the country's inmates.
“For what reason must we give these lowlifes a good life?” he once mused. “They deserve to be screwed, period. That's my view.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to wind up in prison, all you have to do is not rape, kidnap or theft.”
Prison Destination Debate
But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda top-security prison in Brasília has appalled backers, a group of four this week visited the complex in an apparent attempt to discourage the judiciary from transferring him there.
The senator, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, claimed he anticipated the 70-year-old politician to be imprisoned in the coming fortnight and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.
The senator argued Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal problems – the consequence of a life-threatening stabbing during the last election race – implied it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His health is extremely serious. He will not be able to cope if they take him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the quality of jail cuisine.
While visiting Papuda, Lucas recalled witnessing cells accommodating forty detainees: “That is almost one square meter per detainee.
“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, naturally, of the terrible meals,” remarked the senator.
Supporters React
Lucas is not the sole person speaking out before the ex-leader's anticipated detention.
Writing in a prominent publication, another ally, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the greatest wrong in its history”.
“It represents an wrong that erodes the spirits of countless Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.
Varied General Reaction
This could be accurate due to the substantial backing Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. However his anticipated jailing has also gladdened the feelings of millions other people who believe he should be incarcerated for planning to prevent the elected leader from becoming president – and additionally scheming to have him murdered.
Congressman Otoni, a politician for the incumbent president's allied group, stated: “No one desires Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in isolation. Nobody wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to obtain respectful treatment – but dignified treatment while incarcerated. He must not persist being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”
He observed how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long applauding the tough treatment of inmates, had abruptly become aware to their rights. “Recently has the far-right – which has consistently claimed that civil liberties were not for lawbreakers – decided to inspect a prison to learn what situations are actually like,” he stated.
“The former president is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, demeaning treatment”.
Possible Jail Conditions
Regardless of talk that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now contains about thousands of prisoners, his probable destination looks to be a close jail for officers and other “special” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
His potential cell are much more adequate than those in the primary facility, although nevertheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the spectacular official residence, around 12 miles away.
Based on reports, the room Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – roughly the area of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 square meter restroom with a shower and a 12 sq metre veranda. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a TV and also a minibar in his quarters as long as they were donated by his family,” sources suggested.
Political Comments
The lawmaker condemned the speculated proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his outcome in the {