Jailhouse Shock: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars
He battled justice and justice triumphed.
A couple of months subsequent to being handed a 27-year sentence for trying to “destroy” the nation's democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro now appears jail-bound.
Imminent Jailing
The adjudicated plotter – who's been living under home confinement in his residence while a number of judicial steps and appeals proceed – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the next few days, during growing speculation that he will be transferred to a infamous maximum security facility.
Past Remarks on Prisoners
During Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the conservative ex- soldier displayed scant sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.
“What’s the need to offer these lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They deserve to be messed, period. That's my opinion.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to wind up behind bars, all you have to do is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”
Incarceration Destination Speculation
But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified backers, several of whom this week visited the complex in an seeming effort to discourage the judiciary from transferring him there.
Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, claimed he expected the 70-year-old figure to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.
The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute gut problems – the result of a life-threatening knife attack during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the former president there. “His condition is very grave. He will not be able to handle it if they send him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he commented, who also worried about cramped cells and the standard of jail cuisine.
During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells holding four dozen inmates: “It's practically one square metre per inmate.
“We talked to the prisoners and they protest, naturally, of the horrible meals,” continued the senator.
Allies Voice Concerns
Lucas is not the lone figure speaking out before the ex-leader's expected detention.
Writing in a prominent newspaper, another ally, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the greatest wrong in its record”.
“This is an wrong that erodes the spirits of countless Brazilian citizens,” Wajngarten wrote.
Divided Popular Opinion
This could be correct due to the substantial support Bolsonaro maintains on the Brazilian right. But his predicted incarceration has also pleased the feelings of millions other people who believe he ought to be imprisoned for plotting to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and even plotting to have him assassinated.
Congressman Otoni, a representative for the sitting leader's Workers’ party, stated: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to be sent in isolation. No one wants Bolsonaro not to be fed or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We desire him to obtain respectful treatment – but respectful care while incarcerated. He can’t carry on being his own prison warden for his entire life.”
The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time applauding the tough handling of prisoners, had abruptly woken up to their entitlements. “Only now has the far-right – which has repeatedly argued that human rights should not be for lawbreakers – opted to visit a jail to learn what conditions are really like,” he remarked.
“Bolsonaro is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, degrading treatment”.
Possible Incarceration Conditions
Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now houses about 14,000 prisoners, his expected destination appears to be a nearby penitentiary for officers and other “unique” prisoners known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
His potential cell are considerably more adequate than those in the main prison, although still a world away from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the stunning official residence, approximately 12 miles away.
According to reports, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha measures about 260 square feet – about the size of vehicle spaces – and features a 12 square meter bathroom with a shower and a 12 sq metre terrace. “He could be allowed to have a set and additionally a small fridge in his room as long as they were supplied by his family,” the report suggested.
Partisan Comments
Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured plan to send the one-time head of state to Papuda as “a type of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his fate in the {