Prison Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison
He fought the law and the legal system triumphed.
A couple of months subsequent to being handed a 27-year sentence for trying to “eradicate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally looks headed to prison.
Expected Imprisonment
The convicted instigator – who had been living under home confinement in his residence while a number of legal procedures and petitions play out – is widely expected to be incarcerated in the coming days, during growing rumors that he will be moved to a notorious maximum security prison.
Historical Statements on Inmates
Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative former soldier exhibited little mercy for Brazil’s prison population.
“Why should we provide these scoundrels a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”
At another time, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to end up there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, kidnap or theft.”
Prison Location Speculation
But the idea of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has horrified supporters, four of whom this week visited the facility in an obvious effort to discourage the supreme court from transferring him there.
Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, claimed he anticipated the septuagenarian figure to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.
Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute gut ailments – the result of a life-threatening stabbing during the 2018 presidential election race – implied it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It could be awful,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about packed cells and the quality of prison meals.
During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted witnessing cells containing forty prisoners: “That’s virtually one square meter per detainee.
“We conversed to the inmates and they protest, naturally, of the awful food,” continued the senator.
Supporters Speak Out
He is not the lone figure speaking out before the one-time head of state's predicted incarceration.
Penning in a prominent publication, a different supporter, the ex- cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and asserted Brazil was about to witness “the greatest unfairness in its record”.
“It represents an injustice that erodes the spirits of many of Brazilians,” he stated.
Varied Popular Reaction
That may be accurate due to the considerable backing Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. But his anticipated imprisonment has also pleased the hearts of many others who feel he deserves to be incarcerated for conspiring to stop the incoming president from taking power – and additionally conspiring to have him assassinated.
Reimont Otoni, a congressman for the current leader's allied group, commented: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. No one desires Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one desires Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to receive respectful care – but respectful treatment behind bars. He cannot persist being his own prison warden for his whole life.”
The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time applauding the severe treatment of prisoners, had abruptly realized to their entitlements. “Only now has the far-right – which has consistently argued that civil liberties should not be for offenders – decided to visit a penitentiary to learn what conditions are actually like,” he said.
“The former president is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, insulting treatment”.
Likely Jail Conditions
Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand prisoners, his more likely location appears to be a close jail for officers and other “special” prisoners called Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
His potential cell are much more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the impressive official residence, approximately 12 miles away.
As per sources, the room Bolsonaro could likely inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the size of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 square meter bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be permitted to have a TV and also a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were provided by his family,” sources stated.
Partisan Reactions
Senator Lucas criticized the talked-about idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his future in the {