The Former French President Set to Write Jail Diary Detailing Three Weeks In Custody
The ex-president of France plans a book next month titled A Prisoner’s Diary, which recounts the period endured in custody.
The announcement was made just 11 days after Sarkozy left prison while he appeals the guilty verdict on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to acquire political financing from the leadership of Muammar Gaddafi.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“In prison visibility is limited, and activities are scarce,” he writes in one passage, indicating the account is more about his musings during isolation instead of wider commentary regarding the overcrowded and struggling French prison system.
“I forget silence, which doesn’t exist at the prison, where one hears constant sound,” he states. “The noise is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is strengthened in prison.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
While appealing for release, he participated remotely from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He expressed in court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, showing great humanity, and who have made this ordeal tolerable – since it’s deeply troubling.”
“I didn’t expect that at 70 years of age, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship I must endure. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It leaves a mark all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”
Historical Context
Sarkozy, who led the nation between 2007 and 2012, was the first former head in the European Union and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.
Prior to imprisonment he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.
Reading Material
It remains unclear if he found the opportunity to go through the three books he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, a plot where a blameless person is imprisoned but escapes to exact retribution.
Daily Reality
Sarkozy was held in solitary confinement due to safety concerns in a space of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at the correctional facility in the city. Two bodyguards were stationed in an adjacent room.
Sources mentioned that he consumed just yogurt in prison worried that any food might have been spat on. Options were available to prepare his own meals yet he declined, as per accounts. It is uncertain if he will detail his dietary choices.
Lawyer’s Statements
Sarkozy’s lawyer, Christophe Ingrain daily throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings he would be safer released rather than in custody. “He has faced threats against his life, listened to yells after dark and the urgent intervention in an adjacent room during an inmate’s self-injury.”
Charges and Sentence
Sarkozy went to prison last month following the judiciary gave him a half-decade term on conspiracy charges related to a plan to obtain election financing for his presidential bid.
He disputes the charges challenging the decision, with a new trial set for early next year.
