Jailhouse Surprise: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Confronts Life Behind Bars
He battled the law and the legal system triumphed.
A couple of months subsequent to being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for attempting to “destroy” the nation's political system, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro at last seems destined for incarceration.
Anticipated Incarceration
The convicted instigator – who's been subject to home confinement in his mansion while a series of court processes and challenges proceed – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the coming days, amid increasing rumors that he will be moved to a well-known high-security penitentiary.
Past Remarks on Prisoners
Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the right-wing ex- military man showed little compassion for the country's jailed individuals.
“Why should we give these lowlifes a good life?” he once pondered. “They should just get fucked, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”
On another occasion, Bolsonaro declared: “Should you not wish to wind up in prison, all you have to do is to avoid rape, kidnap or theft.”
Jail Location Debate
Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, four of whom this week visited the facility in an obvious effort to prevent the high court from transferring him there.
Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was part of that quartet, claimed he expected the elderly politician to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.
He asserted Bolsonaro’s acute gut issues – the outcome of a near-fatal knife attack during the last presidential campaign – signified it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He will not be able to manage if they move him to Papuda … It could be terrible,” he added, who also worried about packed cells and the standard of inmate food.
While visiting Papuda, Lucas noted observing cells holding four dozen detainees: “It's virtually one square metre per inmate.
“We conversed to the prisoners and they protest, of course, of the terrible meals,” added the senator.
Backers React
The senator isn't the lone figure voicing opinions before the one-time head of state's predicted detention.
Writing in a major publication, a different supporter, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to see “the largest wrong in its history”.
“It is an wrong that erodes the hearts of countless people in Brazil,” he stated.
Varied General Response
It is possibly correct given the considerable backing Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. Yet his anticipated imprisonment has also gladdened the hearts of numerous other people who believe he deserves to be imprisoned for plotting to block the incoming president from becoming president – and also scheming to have him murdered.
Congressman Otoni, a politician for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, commented: “Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be sent in a dungeon. Nobody wants Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to rest on hard ground. We want him to obtain proper care – but dignified care in prison. He cannot continue being his own prison warden for his lifetime.”
He observed how Bolsonaro supporters, who have long applauding the harsh conditions of inmates, had unexpectedly woken up to their privileges. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has consistently claimed that civil liberties are not for lawbreakers – opted to visit a prison to find out what circumstances are really like,” he stated.
“He is a offender,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, demeaning conduct”.
Potential Jail Facilities
Despite speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which presently houses about fourteen thousand inmates, his probable location appears to be a nearby prison for officers and other “particular” detainees known as Papudinha (Little Papuda).
His potential cell are much more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a far cry from the opulence Bolsonaro experienced while occupying the impressive official residence, about 12 miles away.
According to reports, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to occupy in Papudinha has about 24 square meters – roughly the dimensions of two parking spaces – and features a 130 square foot WC with a bathing area and a 12 square meter terrace. “He could be permitted to have a set and even a minibar in his cell as long as they were donated by his family,” information suggested.
Partisan Reactions
He criticized the rumoured idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “an act of revenge” on the part of the presiding magistrate who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his future in the {