The Former French President Set to Write Prison Memoir Documenting Two Dozen Days In Custody
The ex-president of France plans a memoir next month called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time endured in jail.
The revelation came shortly following the ex-leader was released while his appeal proceeds his conviction on charges of criminal conspiracy in a case to obtain political financing provided by the government of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Solitary Musings
“Inside jail one sees little, and activities are scarce,” he writes in a preview, implying the account will focus on his musings during isolation instead of a broader observation on the strained and crisis-hit jail system in France.
“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist in that facility, where there is a lot to hear,” he adds. “The racket is alas constant. But, just like the desert, inner life is strengthened behind bars.”
Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle
At his release request hearing, the former leader participated by video link from a room in prison, describing his time inside as draining. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend the correctional officers, showing great humanity, easing this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”
“It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, 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 all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”
Historical Context
The former president, the ex-head of state between 2007 and 2012, set a precedent as ex-leader from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to be incarcerated.
Ahead of his incarceration he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir.
Books in Prison
Unconfirmed is did he manage to go through the volumes he had in his cell: a two-volume biography of Jesus and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where an innocent man ends up incarcerated later flees to take revenge.
Life in Confinement
He remained in solitary confinement to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison in the city. Security personnel stayed in the next cell.
It was stated that he had eaten only yoghurts while inside due to concerns any food may have been contaminated. Options were available to cook for himself but refused this, according to reports. Unclear remains if he will detail what he ate in prison.
Lawyer’s Statements
The legal representative, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings he would be safer released compared to inside. “There were threats against his life, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Charges and Sentence
Sarkozy went to prison last month when a Paris court sentenced him to a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges related to a plan to acquire political donations during his election campaign.
He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, with a new trial planned for next spring.
