Prison Shock: Brazil's Ex-President Bolsonaro Faces Life in Prison

He fought the law and the legal system triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro finally appears headed to prison.

Anticipated Jailing

The convicted coup-monger – who's been under residential detention in his residence while a number of judicial steps and appeals unfold – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the next few days, during growing speculation that he will be transferred to a infamous high-security facility.

Historical Statements on Inmates

During Bolsonaro’s 40-year time in politics, the conservative former paratrooper displayed little compassion for the country's inmates.

“For what reason must we provide those lowlifes a comfortable existence?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be fucked, full-fucking-stop. That's my opinion.”

At another time, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to end up there, the only thing required is not sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Location Debate

Yet the idea of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, four of whom this week toured the complex in an obvious bid to discourage the supreme court from banishing him there.

Senator Lucas, a senator from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was among that group, claimed he predicted the elderly politician to be incarcerated in the next 10 days and was concerned his assigned prison could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the result of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be risky to keep the former president there. “His [health] situation is highly critical. He won’t be able to manage if they send him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” he commented, who also worried about packed cells and the quality of inmate food.

While visiting Papuda, Lucas remembered witnessing cells containing 40 inmates: “That’s virtually one square metre per detainee.

“We talked to the prisoners and they protest, unsurprisingly, of the awful cuisine,” continued the senator.

Allies Speak Out

The senator isn't the lone figure speaking out ahead of the one-time head of state's predicted incarceration.

Authoring in a major newspaper, another ally, the ex- government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” political career and claimed Brazil was about to experience “the biggest unfairness in its record”.

“It is an wrong that erodes the spirits of millions Brazilian citizens,” the former minister said.

Varied Popular Opinion

That may be accurate considering the substantial following Bolsonaro holds on the right-wing. Yet his predicted incarceration has also pleased the feelings of numerous others who think he ought to be incarcerated for plotting to stop his successor from taking power – and also conspiring to have him murdered.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the sitting leader's political party, commented: “No one wishes Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in segregation. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to obtain dignified handling – but proper handling behind bars. He cannot carry on being his own prison warden for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro backers, who have for a long time praising the severe handling of inmates, had abruptly woken up to their entitlements. “Just now has the extreme right – which has always asserted that human rights should not be for offenders – chosen to inspect a penitentiary to discover what situations are actually like,” he said.

“Bolsonaro is a offender,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he earned “degrading, degrading treatment”.

Possible Incarceration Environment

Despite rumors that Bolsonaro could be sent to Papuda, which currently holds about thousands of prisoners, his probable destination seems to be a close penitentiary for law enforcement and other “particular” prisoners called Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

The accommodations are much more pleasant than those in the primary facility, although still a far cry from the comfort Bolsonaro enjoyed while residing in the spectacular leader's home, around 20 kilometers away.

According to information, the room Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha measures about 24 square meters – about the area of a couple of car spots – and contains a 12 square meter WC with a bathing area and a 12 sq metre balcony. “He could be permitted to have a TV and even a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” information indicated.

Ideological Comments

Senator Lucas condemned the rumoured plan to send the ex-president to Papuda as “an act of payback” on the part of the judicial authority who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his future in the {

Matthew Jones
Matthew Jones

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