Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's FormerPresident Bolsonaro Faces Time in Prison
He fought the law and justice prevailed.
Two months following being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “annihilate” the nation's democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro now seems jail-bound.
Imminent Incarceration
The convicted coup-monger – who had been subject to residential detention in his residence while a number of judicial steps and petitions proceed – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the coming days, during growing speculation that he will be sent to a notorious maximum security facility.
Previous Statements on Convicts
Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the far-right ex- military man displayed little sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.
“For what reason must we give those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get screwed, end of story. That's my view.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to end up behind bars, the only thing required is to avoid rape, abduction or rob.”
Jail Facility Discussion
But the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda high-security prison in Brasília has appalled supporters, a group of four this week inspected the facility in an apparent effort to discourage the judiciary from transferring him there.
The senator, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was one of the visitors, stated he expected the elderly politician to be imprisoned in the next 10 days and worried his destination could be Papuda.
Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s serious gut ailments – the outcome of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the ex-leader there. “His [health] situation is extremely serious. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It would be terrible,” he added, who also voiced anxiety about cramped cells and the quality of prison meals.
When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled witnessing cells holding 40 inmates: “It's practically one square metre per prisoner.
“We talked to the convicts and they complain, naturally, of the awful cuisine,” continued the senator.
Backers Voice Concerns
The senator isn't the lone figure speaking out prior to the ex-leader's predicted imprisonment.
Writing in a prominent publication, another ally, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and asserted Brazil was about to see “the biggest political injustice in its record”.
“This is an unfairness that erodes the hearts of countless Brazilian citizens,” he stated.
Varied Public Response
This could be correct considering the considerable backing Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. However his expected incarceration has also warmed the spirits of numerous individuals who feel he should be incarcerated for conspiring to prevent his successor from assuming office – and also conspiring to have him assassinated.
The lawmaker, a politician for the current president's allied group, said: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dark cell. No one desires Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. No one desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to get proper handling – but respectful treatment behind bars. He can’t persist being his personal jailer for his entire life.”
The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have long celebrating the tough conditions of prisoners, had suddenly realized to their privileges. “Only now has the far-right – which has always argued that human rights were not for criminals – opted to tour a prison to discover what conditions are really like,” he stated.
“He is a lawbreaker,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, degrading treatment”.
Potential Jail Environment
In spite of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently contains about fourteen thousand prisoners, his expected assigned facility seems to be a adjacent prison for officers and other “particular” inmates referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
Its cells are far more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nevertheless a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning official residence, about 20 kilometers away.
According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – about the size of a couple of car spots – and features a 12 sq metre WC with a shower and a 12 sq metre terrace. “The ex-president might be allowed to have a TV and additionally a small fridge in his room as long as they were donated by his relatives,” sources stated.
Partisan Responses
Senator Lucas condemned the talked-about idea to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will determine his future in the {