Prison Shock: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Time Behind Bars
He fought justice and justice prevailed.
Two months subsequent to being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “eradicate” the nation's political system, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally looks jail-bound.
Imminent Incarceration
The convicted coup-monger – who had been subject to house arrest in his estate while a series of judicial steps and petitions play out – is broadly anticipated to be jailed in the next few days, amid mounting talk that he will be moved to a infamous maximum security facility.
Past Statements on Prisoners
Throughout Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative ex- military man showed little sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.
“For what reason must we give those dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to finish in prison, all you have to do is not sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”
Jail Facility Discussion
However the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, four of whom this week visited the complex in an seeming bid to prevent the high court from transferring him there.
The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, said he predicted the elderly leader to be jailed in the coming fortnight and worried his destination could be Papuda.
The senator argued Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal problems – the outcome of a life-threatening assault during the 2018 presidential political campaign – implied it would be dangerous to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is highly critical. He won’t be able to manage if they send him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the standard of jail cuisine.
When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered observing cells containing forty inmates: “It's almost one square metre per detainee.
“We talked to the prisoners and they complain, unsurprisingly, of the awful cuisine,” continued the senator.
Backers Speak Out
The senator isn't the only voice expressing views before the ex-leader's anticipated incarceration.
Writing in a major publication, one more backer, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” public service and asserted Brazil was about to see “the greatest unfairness in its record”.
“This is an wrong that eats away the souls of many Brazilian citizens,” Wajngarten wrote.
Divided Popular Opinion
That may be correct given the substantial following Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. However his expected incarceration has also warmed the feelings of millions other people who believe he should be incarcerated for planning to stop the elected leader from assuming office – and even plotting to have him assassinated.
The lawmaker, a congressman for the sitting leader's allied group, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. No one wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to obtain respectful treatment – but respectful care while incarcerated. He can’t continue being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”
Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time praising the severe conditions of inmates, had suddenly realized to their entitlements. “Only now has the far-right – which has consistently claimed that civil liberties are not for criminals – chosen to inspect a prison to learn what circumstances are actually like,” he remarked.
“He is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, insulting treatment”.
Likely Jail Facilities
In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now holds about thousands of prisoners, his more likely location looks to be a adjacent jail for officers and other “unique” prisoners referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
The accommodations are far more adequate than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the stunning official residence, approximately 20 kilometers away.
Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – roughly the dimensions of two parking spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre WC with a water facility and a 12 sq metre balcony. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a set and additionally a small fridge in his room as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” information suggested.
Political Comments
He criticized the rumoured proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will rule on his fate in the {