🔗 Share this article

He fought the law and the law triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to getting a 27-year sentence for attempting to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Incarceration

The adjudicated coup-monger – who's been subject to home confinement in his residence while a set of legal procedures and petitions proceed – is largely predicted to be imprisoned in the coming days, amidst growing rumors that he will be moved to a infamous top-security facility.

Past Remarks on Inmates

Over Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the right-wing former soldier exhibited little sympathy for Brazil’s inmates.

“For what reason must we offer these dirtbags a easy time?” he once pondered. “They should just get screwed, period. That’s what I reckon.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to finish there, you simply need is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Facility Debate

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison high-security prison in Brasília has shocked backers, a group of four this week toured the complex in an obvious attempt to dissuade the judiciary from transferring him there.

Izalci Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, stated he predicted the septuagenarian figure to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and worried his location could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal issues – the result of a near-fatal assault during the last political campaign – meant it would be dangerous to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is very grave. He won’t be able to cope if they send him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the quality of prison meals.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells holding four dozen prisoners: “It's almost one square meter per detainee.

“We conversed to the inmates and they grumble, of course, of the horrible meals,” continued the senator.

Backers Speak Out

Lucas is not the lone figure speaking out ahead of the ex-leader's expected incarceration.

Writing in a prominent publication, another ally, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “brutal” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “spotless” time in office and asserted Brazil was about to see “the biggest unfairness in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that gnaws the souls of many of Brazilians,” Wajngarten wrote.

Divided General Opinion

That may be correct due to the substantial following Bolsonaro maintains on the conservative side. However his predicted incarceration has also warmed the feelings of millions other people who think he ought to be imprisoned for plotting to stop the elected leader from taking power – and additionally plotting to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the sitting leader's political party, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be placed in a dark cell. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in segregation. No one wishes Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We desire him to receive proper handling – but dignified care in prison. He must not continue being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have long praising the tough conditions of inmates, had suddenly realized to their privileges. “Recently has the extreme right – which has consistently asserted that human rights were not for criminals – decided to inspect a jail to learn what conditions are actually like,” he stated.

“The former president is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he earned “shameful, insulting treatment”.

Potential Prison Conditions

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which now holds about 14,000 prisoners, his expected assigned facility seems to be a nearby penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

His potential cell are considerably more pleasant than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive official residence, about 12 miles away.

As per reports, the room Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – approximately the size of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter restroom with a shower and a 130 square foot veranda. “Bolsonaro would be permitted to have a set and even a minibar in his quarters as long as they were donated by his family,” sources suggested.

Partisan Reactions

The lawmaker condemned the rumoured proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his future in the {