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He fought the law and justice won.

Sixty days after being handed a twenty-seven-year sentence for trying to “destroy” the nation's democracy, former president Jair Bolsonaro at last seems jail-bound.

Imminent Incarceration

The convicted instigator – who had been under house arrest in his mansion while a series of court processes and challenges unfold – is largely predicted to be incarcerated in the coming days, amidst growing rumors that he will be transferred to a notorious top-security facility.

Past Comments on Convicts

Throughout Bolsonaro’s 40-year political career, the conservative ex- military man exhibited little sympathy for Brazil’s inmates.

“For what reason must we provide those scoundrels a good life?” he previously wondered. “They deserve to be messed, end of story. That's my view.”

On another occasion, Bolsonaro proclaimed: “Should you not wish to finish there, all you have to do is to avoid sexual assault, abduction or theft.”

Jail Facility Discussion

However the prospect of Bolsonaro himself winding up in the Papuda prison maximum security prison in Brasília has shocked allies, a group of four this week inspected the facility in an obvious attempt to dissuade the high court from sending him there.

Senator Lucas, a politician from Bolsonaro’s Liberal party who was one of the visitors, stated he anticipated the 70-year-old leader to be jailed in the following week and a half and was concerned his destination could be Papuda.

Lucas claimed Bolsonaro’s acute digestive problems – the consequence of a near-fatal stabbing during the last presidential campaign – meant it would be hazardous to keep the one-time head of state there. “His health is highly critical. He cannot to handle it if they take him to Papuda … It will be dreadful,” he commented, who also expressed concern about packed cells and the standard of inmate food.

When inspecting Papuda, Lucas recalled witnessing cells accommodating four dozen prisoners: “That is almost one square meter per inmate.

“We spoke to the convicts and they protest, unsurprisingly, of the terrible cuisine,” remarked the senator.

Backers React

Lucas is not the sole person voicing opinions ahead of the former president’s anticipated detention.

Penning in a leading newspaper, another ally, the former communications minister Fábio Wajngarten, lamented the “harsh” finale to Bolsonaro’s “impeccable” time in office and alleged Brazil was about to witness “the biggest unfairness in its history”.

“This is an unfairness that eats away the souls of millions of Brazilians,” he stated.

Divided Public Response

That may be true given the considerable backing Bolsonaro retains on the Brazilian right. Yet his expected imprisonment has also gladdened the feelings of numerous other people who think he ought to be jailed for conspiring to prevent the incoming president from assuming office – and additionally scheming to have him killed.

Congressman Otoni, a congressman for the incumbent leader's allied group, commented: “Not a soul wishes Bolsonaro to be put in a dungeon. No one wishes Bolsonaro to be placed in solitary confinement. No one desires Bolsonaro to go hungry or for him to have to lie on concrete. We want him to obtain proper care – but dignified care behind bars. He cannot persist being his self-appointed guard for his entire life.”

Otoni was struck by how Bolsonaro allies, who have spent years celebrating the tough treatment of inmates, had suddenly woken up to their entitlements. “Recently has the far-right – which has always argued that civil liberties should not be for offenders – decided to inspect a jail to find out what conditions are really like,” he stated.

“The former president is a criminal,” the congressman maintained, but that did not mean he merited “humiliating, insulting handling”.

Possible Jail Conditions

Regardless of rumors that Bolsonaro could be transferred to Papuda, which now contains about fourteen thousand inmates, his expected assigned facility looks to be a close jail for police officers and other “particular” detainees called Papudinha (Small Papuda).

The accommodations are much more adequate than those in the primary facility, although nonetheless a distant from the comfort Bolsonaro had while living in the impressive presidential palace, about a short distance away.

Based on sources, the accommodation Bolsonaro could expect to inhabit in Papudinha has about 24 sq metres – approximately the dimensions of a couple of car spots – and contains a 12 sq metre WC with a bathing area and a 130 square foot balcony. “He could be authorized to have a television and even a minibar in his room as long as they were donated by his family,” information indicated.

Partisan Reactions

He criticized the rumoured proposal to send the ex-president to Papuda as “a form of payback” on the part of the supreme court judge who oversaw Bolsonaro’s coup trial and will determine his future in the {