The Former French President Set to Write Jail Diary Detailing His 20 Days Behind Bars
The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir this autumn titled Diary of a Prisoner, detailing the period served behind bars.
This news came shortly following the ex-leader was released as he contests his conviction on charges of illegal collaboration regarding a scheme to obtain political financing from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts
“In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in an extract, implying the book centers around his musings while in solitary confinement rather than extensive analysis of the packed and struggling jail system in France.
“Quiet is absent, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where there is endless commotion,” he states. “The din is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world is fortified in prison.”
Court Appearance: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, he was present remotely from inside the facility, describing his time inside as exhausting. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute to all the prison staff, who are exceptionally humane, easing this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”
“I never imagined that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, deeply straining. It leaves a mark every inmate as it’s exhausting.”
Unprecedented Situation
The former president, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, was the first past president of an EU country and the first leader since WWII from France to serve time in prison.
Ahead of his incarceration he declared he intended to spend the period to write a book.
Books in Prison
It is not certain did he manage to review and analyze the texts he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, where a wrongfully accused individual is imprisoned but escapes to seek vengeance.
Life in Confinement
The former leader remained secluded due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at La Santé prison in the city. Two bodyguards stayed in a neighbouring cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison because he feared meals provided might have been spat on. Although he had access to prepare his own meals yet he declined, according to reports. Unclear remains if he will detail meals during incarceration.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, who visited his client each day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing his safety would improve outside jail compared to inside. “There were menacing messages, listened to yells after dark and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Charges and Sentence
His incarceration began last month after a Paris court gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to obtain political donations during his election campaign.
He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case is scheduled for early next year.
