🔗 Share this article

He battled justice and the law prevailed.

A couple of months subsequent to being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for seeking to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro at last looks jail-bound.

Imminent Incarceration

The convicted coup-monger – who's been subject to home confinement in his estate while a series of court processes and challenges play out – is broadly anticipated to be incarcerated in the next few days, amid growing rumors that he will be moved to a well-known high-security penitentiary.

Previous Remarks on Prisoners

Over Bolsonaro’s four-decade time in politics, the right-wing ex- paratrooper showed little mercy for the country's prison population.

“For what reason must we offer those dirtbags a easy time?” he once mused. “They should just get messed, end of story. That’s what I reckon.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro stated: “Should you not wish to wind up behind bars, you simply need is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Location Debate

But the possibility of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has horrified allies, several of whom this week toured the prison in an obvious bid to dissuade the high court from transferring him there.

The senator, a senator from Bolsonaro’s political party who was part of that quartet, claimed he expected the 70-year-old leader to be imprisoned in the next 10 days and feared his assigned prison could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute intestinal issues – the result of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 presidential campaign – meant it would be dangerous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His condition is highly critical. He cannot to cope if they take him to Papuda … It would be dreadful,” said the senator, who also voiced anxiety about overcrowded cells and the condition of prison meals.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas remembered seeing cells accommodating four dozen prisoners: “It's virtually one meter squared per prisoner.

“We conversed to the convicts and they complain, naturally, of the horrible cuisine,” added the senator.

Backers Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the sole person voicing opinions before the one-time head of state's predicted detention.

Writing in a prominent publication, a different supporter, the ex- communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” time in office and claimed Brazil was about to see “the largest unfairness in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the spirits of many Brazilian citizens,” Wajngarten wrote.

Varied General Opinion

This could be true considering the considerable support Bolsonaro maintains on the right-wing. But his expected jailing has also pleased the feelings of millions others who believe he ought to be jailed for planning to prevent the elected leader from taking power – and also plotting to have him killed.

The lawmaker, a politician for the sitting leader's allied group, commented: “Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in a dungeon. No one wants Bolsonaro to be put in isolation. Nobody wishes Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We wish him to get dignified handling – but dignified care while incarcerated. He cannot carry on being his personal jailer for his whole life.”

He observed how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time praising the tough treatment of inmates, had unexpectedly become aware to their privileges. “Recently has the conservative fringe – which has consistently argued that basic rights should not be for lawbreakers – opted to visit a prison to find out what circumstances are really like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, degrading handling”.

Possible Incarceration Conditions

Regardless of speculation that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which currently contains about 14,000 prisoners, his more likely destination seems to be a nearby prison for law enforcement and other “special” inmates known as Papudinha (Small Papuda).

His potential cell are much more adequate than those in the larger jail, although nonetheless a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the stunning official residence, about 20 kilometers away.

As per information, the accommodation Bolsonaro could likely reside in in Papudinha measures about 24 sq metres – approximately the area of vehicle spaces – and contains a 12 square meter restroom with a shower and a 130 square foot terrace. “Bolsonaro would be allowed to have a television and even a minibar in his quarters as long as they were provided by his loved ones,” sources stated.

Ideological Reactions

Senator Lucas condemned the talked-about plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a type of retaliation” on the part of the supreme court judge who presided over Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will decide his outcome in the {