Prison Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life in Prison
He contested the law and justice triumphed.
Two months subsequent to getting a 27-year sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally seems jail-bound.
Expected Imprisonment
The adjudicated coup-monger – who's been subject to residential detention in his estate while a number of court processes and appeals play out – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the near future, during increasing talk that he will be transferred to a infamous top-security prison.
Previous Remarks on Prisoners
During Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the right-wing ex- paratrooper exhibited scant compassion for the country's prison population.
“For what reason must we provide those lowlifes a easy time?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be messed, period. That's my view.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “If you don’t want to finish in prison, you simply need is to avoid rape, abduction or rob.”
Incarceration Destination Speculation
But the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has appalled backers, four of whom this week toured the complex in an apparent bid to prevent the supreme court from sending him there.
Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he expected the 70-year-old politician to be jailed in the coming fortnight and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.
He asserted Bolsonaro’s serious intestinal issues – the consequence of a near-fatal assault during the last election race – signified it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is extremely serious. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It will be terrible,” he commented, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the quality of prison meals.
During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells accommodating 40 detainees: “That is almost one square metre per inmate.
“We spoke to the inmates and they grumble, naturally, of the awful cuisine,” continued the senator.
Supporters Voice Concerns
He is not the lone figure voicing opinions ahead of the ex-leader's expected incarceration.
Penning in a prominent newspaper, one more backer, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” public service and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the largest unfairness in its past”.
“It is an injustice that gnaws the spirits of many people in Brazil,” he stated.
Divided Public Reaction
This could be correct considering the considerable backing Bolsonaro retains on the conservative side. Yet his anticipated incarceration has also gladdened the hearts of many other people who believe he should be imprisoned for conspiring to stop his successor from becoming president – and even scheming to have him killed.
Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the sitting president's Workers’ party, said: “Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a hole. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. No one wishes Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to obtain respectful handling – but proper handling behind bars. He cannot persist being his own prison warden for his whole life.”
The congressman noted how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years praising the harsh handling of prisoners, had abruptly realized to their rights. “Just now has the extreme right – which has consistently claimed that human rights should not be for lawbreakers – opted to inspect a jail to discover what circumstances are truly like,” he remarked.
“He is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, insulting treatment”.
Possible Prison Conditions
Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now contains about fourteen thousand detainees, his expected destination seems to be a close penitentiary for law enforcement and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).
The accommodations are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although still a world away from the opulence Bolsonaro enjoyed while living in the impressive presidential palace, around 20 kilometers away.
Based on sources, the room Bolsonaro could likely occupy in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – approximately the size of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter restroom with a bathing area and a 130 square foot veranda. “He could be allowed to have a television and also a cooler in his room as long as they were supplied by his loved ones,” the report indicated.
Political Comments
The lawmaker condemned the talked-about plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his future in the {