Jailhouse Surprise: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Time Behind Bars
He fought justice and the legal system prevailed.
Sixty days following getting a 27-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro finally appears jail-bound.
Expected Imprisonment
The adjudicated plotter – who had been living under house arrest in his estate while a series of court processes and challenges play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the next few days, during increasing speculation that he will be sent to a infamous high-security facility.
Previous Statements on Inmates
Over Bolsonaro’s long time in politics, the conservative former soldier exhibited scant compassion for the country's prison population.
“Why should we provide those dirtbags a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They should just get fucked, period. That's my opinion.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to end up in prison, the only thing required is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”
Jail Facility Discussion
But the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled backers, a group of four this week visited the prison in an apparent attempt to dissuade the high court from banishing him there.
The senator, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, stated he anticipated the elderly politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and worried his assigned prison could be Papuda.
Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious gut problems – the consequence of a almost deadly knife attack during the 2018 political campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is extremely serious. He will not be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” he added, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the quality of jail cuisine.
During his tour Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells accommodating 40 prisoners: “It's virtually one square metre per detainee.
“We conversed to the prisoners and they grumble, of course, of the horrible food,” added the senator.
Supporters Speak Out
He is not the sole person voicing opinions prior to the former president’s expected imprisonment.
Authoring in a leading newspaper, a different supporter, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the greatest wrong in its record”.
“It represents an wrong that erodes the souls of countless people in Brazil,” Wajngarten wrote.
Divided Public Reaction
It is possibly accurate considering the significant backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. However his expected incarceration has also warmed the hearts of numerous other people who think he ought to be incarcerated for plotting to stop the incoming president from becoming president – and additionally scheming to have him murdered.
Reimont Otoni, a politician for the sitting leader's allied group, said: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We wish him to get respectful handling – but respectful handling in prison. He can’t continue being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”
He observed how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years celebrating the severe treatment of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their entitlements. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has always argued that human rights were not for criminals – chosen to visit a prison to learn what circumstances are really like,” he remarked.
“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “humiliating, demeaning treatment”.
Possible Incarceration Environment
In spite of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now houses about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely destination looks to be a close jail for police officers and other “particular” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).
His potential cell are far more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the spectacular official residence, about 20 kilometers away.
As per information, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of a couple of car spots – and contains a 130 square foot bathroom with a water facility and a 130 square foot veranda. “He could be authorized to have a TV and even a cooler in his cell as long as they were donated by his relatives,” the report indicated.
Ideological Reactions
The lawmaker condemned the talked-about proposal to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s legal case and will decide his fate in the {