🔗 Share this article

He contested the legal system and the legal system won.

Sixty days following receiving a 27-year sentence for attempting to “eradicate” Brazil’s democracy, one-time leader Jair Bolsonaro now seems jail-bound.

Expected Incarceration

The found-guilty plotter – who's been living under home confinement in his residence while a set of judicial steps and challenges proceed – is widely expected to be imprisoned in the next few days, during growing rumors that he will be sent to a infamous top-security facility.

Past Comments on Inmates

Throughout Bolsonaro’s four-decade political career, the far-right former military man exhibited minimal mercy for Brazil’s inmates.

“For what reason must we give these dirtbags a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be screwed, full-fucking-stop. That’s what I reckon.”

In another instance, Bolsonaro stated: “Unless you desire to end up there, the only thing required is not sexual assault, kidnap or rob.”

Jail Facility Discussion

Yet the prospect of Bolsonaro himself ending up in the Papuda prison top-security prison in Brasília has shocked supporters, a group of four this week inspected the prison in an apparent attempt to discourage the judiciary from transferring him there.

Senator Lucas, a lawmaker from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was part of that quartet, said he anticipated the elderly leader to be imprisoned in the following week and a half and worried his destination could be Papuda.

He asserted Bolsonaro’s severe intestinal ailments – the outcome of a near-fatal stabbing during the 2018 political campaign – signified it would be risky to keep the ex-leader there. “His health is highly critical. He won’t be able to cope if they move him to Papuda … It would be awful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about overcrowded cells and the quality of inmate food.

During his tour Papuda, Lucas recalled seeing cells containing four dozen detainees: “That is almost one meter squared per detainee.

“We spoke to the convicts and they grumble, naturally, of the terrible cuisine,” continued the senator.

Backers Voice Concerns

The senator isn't the sole person expressing views prior to the ex-leader's expected imprisonment.

Authoring in a prominent newspaper, another ally, the former government official Fábio Wajngarten, bemoaned the “harsh” conclusion to Bolsonaro’s “flawless” political career and alleged Brazil was about to see “the greatest political injustice in its record”.

“It represents an injustice that eats away the spirits of countless of Brazilians,” the former minister said.

Varied Public Opinion

That may be accurate given the significant backing Bolsonaro retains on the right-wing. Yet his anticipated incarceration has also warmed the hearts of millions others who feel he deserves to be jailed for conspiring to prevent his successor from taking power – and additionally conspiring to have him assassinated.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the sitting leader's political party, stated: “Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to be sent in a hole. No one desires Bolsonaro to be sent in solitary confinement. Not a soul desires Bolsonaro to lack food or for him to have to sleep on the floor. We want him to receive respectful handling – but dignified handling while incarcerated. He must not carry on being his self-appointed guard for his whole life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro supporters, who have for a long time applauding the harsh handling of prisoners, had unexpectedly realized to their privileges. “Only now has the extreme right – which has always argued that human rights were not for offenders – decided to visit a penitentiary to discover what situations are really like,” he stated.

“Bolsonaro is a criminal,” he affirmed, but that did not mean he deserved “humiliating, demeaning conduct”.

Potential Incarceration Conditions

Regardless of talk that Bolsonaro could be moved to Papuda, which currently contains about thousands of inmates, his probable location looks to be a close penitentiary for law enforcement and other “special” detainees known as Papudinha (Minor Papuda).

Its cells are much more comfortable than those in the larger jail, although still a far cry from the luxury Bolsonaro enjoyed while occupying the impressive official residence, around a short distance away.

Based on sources, the cell Bolsonaro could expect to reside in in Papudinha is about 260 square feet – approximately the size of vehicle spaces – and includes a 12 sq metre restroom with a shower and a 130 square foot balcony. “He could be permitted to have a television and even a small fridge in his quarters as long as they were donated by his family,” the report indicated.

Ideological Responses

The lawmaker denounced the talked-about plan to send the former leader to Papuda as “a type of payback” on the part of the presiding magistrate who presided over Bolsonaro’s proceedings and will rule on his future in the {