The Former French President Preparing to Release Prison Memoir Chronicling His 20 Days Incarcerated
The ex-president of France plans a personal account this autumn called A Prisoner’s Diary, chronicling the period served in custody.
This news was made just 11 days after the ex-leader gained freedom as he appeals the court ruling for illegal collaboration connected to efforts to secure presidential race money provided by the regime of the late Libyan dictator.
Time in Custody: Inner Thoughts
“In prison one sees little, and nothing to do,” he reflects in one passage, implying the account will focus on his reflections from seclusion instead of extensive analysis of the packed and struggling jail system in France.
“Silence escapes me, which doesn’t exist in La Santé, where one hears constant sound,” he continues. “The noise is alas constant. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger behind bars.”
Release Hearing: Describing the Ordeal
During his plea for freedom, the former leader participated by video link from his cell, describing his time inside as draining. He had told the court: “I want to pay tribute those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who helped make this difficult experience tolerable – as it truly is one.”
“It never crossed my mind 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 affects one all who experience it as it’s exhausting.”
First of Its Kind
Sarkozy, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first ex-leader from the EU and the initial post-WWII figure from France to serve time in prison.
Prior to imprisonment he declared he intended to spend the period for authoring a memoir.
Reading Material
It remains unclear whether he had time to review and analyze the volumes he had in his cell: a biography of Jesus in two parts plus the novel by Dumas the classic tale, in which a blameless person is imprisoned but escapes to take revenge.
Life in Confinement
He remained secluded due to safety concerns in a space approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in the city. Guards were stationed in an adjacent room.
Sources mentioned that he had eaten just yogurt during his stay because he feared prison cuisine could have been tampered with. He had facilities to cook for himself yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. Unclear remains whether Sarkozy will write about meals during incarceration.
Defense Viewpoint
Sarkozy’s lawyer, who visited his client daily throughout the jail term, stated during proceedings he would be safer outside jail rather than in custody. “He has faced threats against his life, heard shouts during nighttime and emergency responses next door as a detainee harmed themselves.”
Legal Proceedings
He entered custody in late October when the judiciary imposed a five-year sentence for illegal collaboration over a scheme to secure campaign funds for his presidential bid.
He maintains his innocence challenging the decision, and another court case set for early next year.
