The Former French President Preparing to Release Jail Diary Documenting His 20 Days Behind Bars

The ex-president of France is preparing a memoir this autumn named Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts his time endured behind bars.

This news emerged just 11 days after the ex-leader left prison as he appeals the guilty verdict on charges of unlawful coordination connected to efforts to acquire presidential race money from the regime of the late Libyan dictator.

Life Behind Bars: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars visibility is limited, with little to occupy time,” he writes in a preview, implying the book centers around his reflections from solitary confinement instead of a broader observation of the packed and crisis-hit jail system in France.

“Quiet is absent, not present at the prison, where noise is endless commotion,” he adds. “The racket unfortunately never stops. But, just like the desert, inner life is fortified in prison.”

Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship

During his plea for freedom, he had appeared remotely from a room in prison, depicting prison life as draining. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, and who have made this nightmare tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a hardship forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It leaves a mark on any prisoner as it’s exhausting.”

Unprecedented Situation

The former president, who served as France’s president between 2007 and 2012, became the inaugural past president from the EU and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Ahead of his incarceration he declared he would use his time to write a book.

Books in Prison

It is not certain if he found the opportunity to review and analyze the three books he brought with him: a two-volume biography of Jesus plus the novel by Dumas The Count of Monte Cristo, in which an innocent man is sentenced to jail later flees to exact retribution.

Life in Confinement

The former leader was placed in isolation due to safety concerns in a room approximately nine square meters featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility located in the capital. Security personnel were stationed in the next cell.

It was stated that he consumed solely dairy snacks in prison due to concerns prison cuisine could have been tampered with. He had facilities to prepare his own meals yet he declined, based on unnamed sources. It is uncertain if the memoir includes his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

His attorney, Christophe Ingrain each day throughout the jail term, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison compared to inside. “There were death threats, heard shouts at night and emergency responses next door when a prisoner self-harmed.”

Charges and Sentence

His incarceration began on 21 October after the judiciary imposed a five-year sentence on conspiracy charges in connection with efforts to obtain campaign funds during his election campaign.

He denies wrongdoing and has appealed against the verdict, and another court case set for next spring.