Jailhouse Surprise: The Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Time Behind Bars
He contested the legal system and justice triumphed.
Two months subsequent to getting a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “destroy” Brazil’s democracy, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally appears headed to prison.
Expected Incarceration
The found-guilty plotter – who's been under home confinement in his estate while a set of legal procedures and petitions proceed – is broadly anticipated to be imprisoned in the next few days, amidst increasing talk that he will be transferred to a well-known top-security prison.
Historical Remarks on Inmates
During Bolsonaro’s four-decade public life, the far-right former military man displayed minimal sympathy for the country's jailed individuals.
“Why should we provide these scoundrels a comfortable existence?” he once mused. “They should just get fucked, end of story. That's my opinion.”
In another instance, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to wind up in prison, the only thing required is to avoid rape, abduction or rob.”
Incarceration Destination Speculation
Yet the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has appalled allies, several of whom this week inspected the facility in an seeming attempt to dissuade the judiciary from sending him there.
Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s political party who was among that group, stated he predicted the septuagenarian leader to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and feared his destination could be Papuda.
Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal problems – the outcome of a almost deadly assault during the last political campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is very grave. He will not be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” said the senator, who also worried about overcrowded cells and the standard of jail cuisine.
During his tour Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells containing four dozen inmates: “That is almost one meter squared per prisoner.
“We conversed to the prisoners and they complain, naturally, of the horrible food,” remarked the senator.
Allies Speak Out
He is not the sole person speaking out prior to the one-time head of state's predicted detention.
Authoring in a prominent daily, one more backer, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “harsh” end to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the largest wrong in its past”.
“It is an injustice that gnaws the souls of many Brazilian citizens,” he stated.
Mixed Public Reaction
It is possibly true given the considerable support Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. But his expected incarceration has also pleased the feelings of numerous others who believe he deserves to be incarcerated for planning to stop his successor from taking power – and additionally scheming to have him assassinated.
The lawmaker, a congressman for the current president's Workers’ party, commented: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. No one wants Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. Nobody desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to obtain respectful treatment – but proper treatment behind bars. He can’t continue being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”
Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have spent years applauding the severe conditions of convicts, had abruptly realized to their privileges. “Recently has the far-right – which has repeatedly asserted that civil liberties are not for offenders – opted to visit a jail to learn what circumstances are actually like,” he said.
“The former president is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “degrading, demeaning handling”.
Potential Jail Environment
Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which now holds about fourteen thousand inmates, his probable location appears to be a nearby jail for law enforcement and other “particular” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).
His potential cell are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although still a distant from the opulence Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive official residence, approximately 12 miles away.
As per information, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha is about 24 sq metres – roughly the size of vehicle spaces – and contains a 130 square foot bathroom with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre terrace. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a TV and even a small fridge in his room as long as they were supplied by his relatives,” the report indicated.
Partisan Reactions
The lawmaker condemned the talked-about plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will decide his outcome in the {