🔗 Share this article

He battled justice and the law triumphed.

Sixty days subsequent to being handed a quarter-century plus sentence for trying to “annihilate” Brazil’s democratic institutions, ex-president Jair Bolsonaro finally looks jail-bound.

Expected Incarceration

The convicted plotter – who has been under residential detention in his mansion while a series of court processes and challenges play out – is widely expected to be jailed in the coming days, amidst increasing rumors that he will be sent to a notorious top-security facility.

Past Statements on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s long public life, the conservative former paratrooper displayed little sympathy for Brazil’s jailed individuals.

“Why should we give these dirtbags a good life?” he once mused. “They ought to simply be fucked, period. That’s what I reckon.”

At another time, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “If you don’t want to end up behind bars, you simply need is not rape, kidnap or rob.”

Incarceration Destination Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself landing in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, several of whom this week toured the facility in an apparent effort to discourage the supreme court from sending him there.

The senator, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s allied group who was one of the visitors, stated he expected the septuagenarian figure to be incarcerated in the coming fortnight and worried his destination could be Papuda.

The senator argued Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the outcome of a almost deadly knife attack during the last election race – meant it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His condition is extremely serious. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It could be dreadful,” said the senator, who also expressed concern about cramped cells and the quality of prison meals.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled observing cells accommodating 40 prisoners: “That is almost one square meter per detainee.

“We talked to the inmates and they protest, unsurprisingly, of the horrible cuisine,” remarked the senator.

Supporters Voice Concerns

Lucas is not the only voice voicing opinions ahead of the former president’s anticipated imprisonment.

Authoring in a prominent newspaper, one more backer, the former cabinet member Fábio Wajngarten, deplored the “severe” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” political career and alleged Brazil was about to experience “the greatest political injustice in its past”.

“It is an wrong that eats away the hearts of millions people in Brazil,” the former minister said.

Mixed Public Reaction

It is possibly true considering the significant following Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. However his expected imprisonment has also warmed the feelings of numerous others who think he deserves to be incarcerated for planning to block the elected leader from becoming president – and additionally scheming to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a representative for the incumbent administration's Workers’ party, commented: “No one wants Bolsonaro to be put in a dark cell. Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in segregation. Not a soul wants Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to receive proper handling – but respectful handling behind bars. He must not carry on being his self-appointed guard for his lifetime.”

The congressman noted how Bolsonaro allies, who have for a long time celebrating the severe treatment of inmates, had unexpectedly become aware to their privileges. “Just now has the conservative fringe – which has consistently asserted that civil liberties are not for criminals – opted to visit a penitentiary to discover what circumstances are really like,” he remarked.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” Otoni insisted, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, insulting treatment”.

Potential Prison Facilities

Regardless of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which presently holds about 14,000 detainees, his expected location seems to be a close prison for officers and other “particular” detainees referred to as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more comfortable than those in the primary facility, although still a distant from the luxury Bolsonaro experienced while living in the stunning official residence, about 12 miles away.

As per information, the accommodation Bolsonaro could anticipate inhabit in Papudinha has about 260 square feet – roughly the size of vehicle spaces – and features a 130 square foot WC with a water facility and a 130 square foot terrace. “He could be allowed to have a set and additionally a minibar in his quarters as long as they were donated by his loved ones,” the report suggested.

Partisan Responses

Senator Lucas denounced the rumoured idea to send the former leader to Papuda as “a form of revenge” on the part of the supreme court judge who led Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will rule on his fate in the {