The Former French President Preparing to Release Prison Memoir Detailing His 20 Days In Custody
The ex-president of France will soon publish a book in the coming weeks titled Diary of a Prisoner, detailing the period spent in custody.
The announcement came shortly following the former president left prison while he contests the court ruling on charges of criminal conspiracy regarding a scheme to obtain presidential race money from the leadership of the late Libyan dictator.
Prison Experience: Solitary Musings
“In prison there is nothing to see, and nothing to do,” he reflects in one passage, indicating the book will focus on his reflections from seclusion as opposed to a broader observation regarding the packed and troubled jail system in France.
“Quiet is absent, which is missing in that facility, where noise is constant sound,” he continues. “The din persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, inner life is strengthened behind bars.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
At his release request hearing, the former leader was present by video link from his cell, depicting prison life as gruelling. He stated to the judge: “I wish to commend to all the prison staff, showing great humanity, and who have made this ordeal bearable – 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. It’s challenging, I acknowledge, deeply straining. It affects one every inmate as it’s exhausting.”
Unprecedented Situation
Sarkozy, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, set a precedent as past president in the European Union and the first postwar leader from France to experience jail.
Before entering jail he declared he would use his time to compose an account.
Books in Prison
It is not certain whether he had time to go through the three books he had in his cell: a life story of Jesus spanning two books and Alexandre Dumas’s novel The Count of Monte Cristo, where a blameless person ends up incarcerated then breaks out to seek vengeance.
Life in Confinement
The former leader remained in isolation due to safety concerns in a cell of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison in the city. Two bodyguards occupied the next cell.
Reports indicated that he consumed just yogurt while inside worried that prison cuisine may have been contaminated. He had facilities for self-catering but he turned this down, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain if the memoir includes his dietary choices.
Legal Perspective
His attorney, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, informed the court he would be safer out of prison than inside. “He received death threats, has heard screaming after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room when a prisoner self-harmed.”
Charges and Sentence
He entered custody last month when a French court sentenced him to a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to acquire election financing during his election campaign.
He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case is scheduled for next spring.
