The Former French President to Pen Prison Memoir Chronicling Two Dozen Days Behind Bars
The ex-president of France plans a book this autumn called A Prisoner’s Diary, detailing his time served behind bars.
The revelation came shortly following the ex-leader gained freedom as he contests the court ruling for criminal conspiracy in a case to obtain presidential race money from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.
Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings
“Behind bars there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he notes in an extract, indicating the memoir will focus on his thoughts from solitary confinement instead of a broader observation on the strained and crisis-hit French prison system.
“I forget silence, which is missing in La Santé, where there is constant sound,” he adds. “The noise unfortunately never stops. However, akin to empty spaces, personal reflection is strengthened behind bars.”
Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship
During his plea for freedom, Sarkozy was present by video link from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, and who helped make this ordeal tolerable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“It never crossed my mind that in my seventies, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a hardship that has been imposed on me. I confess it’s hard, it’s very hard. It affects one on any prisoner because it’s gruelling.”
First of Its Kind
The former president, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, was the first ex-leader in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure from France to be incarcerated.
Prior to imprisonment he declared he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.
Reading Material
It is not certain did he manage to read and critique the texts he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel the famous story, a plot where a blameless person ends up incarcerated but escapes to seek vengeance.
Prison Conditions
Sarkozy was held secluded to protect him in a cell approximately nine square meters including private facilities at the correctional facility located in the capital. Two bodyguards stayed in the next cell.
Reports indicated his diet consisted only yoghurts while inside because he feared any food might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself but he turned this down, according to reports. Unclear remains if he will detail meals during incarceration.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, Christophe Ingrain daily while he was in prison, told the release hearing his safety would improve released rather than in custody. “There were threats against his life, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention in a neighbouring cell during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Case Background
Sarkozy went to prison last month after a Paris court sentenced him to a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to obtain campaign funds during his election campaign.
He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial planned for the coming spring.
