🔗 Share this article

The ex-president of France will soon publish a memoir next month called Diary of a Prisoner, which recounts the period served in custody.

This news came shortly following the former president left prison while he appeals the guilty verdict on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to secure presidential race money linked to the regime of Muammar Gaddafi.

Prison Experience: Inner Thoughts

“Behind bars there is nothing to see, and activities are scarce,” he writes in a preview, implying the book is more about his reflections while in seclusion rather than wider commentary regarding the packed and struggling French prison system.

“I forget silence, not present at the prison, where there is a lot to hear,” he continues. “The noise persists relentlessly. But, just like the desert, inner life grows stronger while incarcerated.”

Freedom Plea: Sharing the Struggle

At his release request hearing, Sarkozy participated by video link from his cell, depicting prison life as draining. He had told the court: “I must acknowledge to all the prison staff, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.”

“I didn’t expect at this stage of life, I would end up incarcerated. It’s a trial forced upon me. I confess it’s hard, deeply straining. It leaves a mark all who experience it due to its intensity.”

First of Its Kind

The former president, the ex-head of state for a five-year term, was the first ex-leader in the European Union and the first leader since WWII from France to be incarcerated.

Before entering jail he had said he planned to utilize the opportunity to compose an account.

Reading Material

Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to read and critique the texts he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books plus the novel by Dumas the famous story, in which a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail then breaks out to take revenge.

Prison Conditions

He was held in isolation to protect him in a space roughly 100 square feet featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility located in the capital. Guards were stationed in the next cell.

Reports indicated his diet consisted only yoghurts during his stay because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. He had facilities to cook for himself but he turned this down, according to reports. It is uncertain whether Sarkozy will write about his dietary choices.

Lawyer’s Statements

Sarkozy’s lawyer, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings security would be better released compared to inside. “There were death threats, heard shouts at night plus rapid actions in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.”

Case Background

He entered custody on 21 October when a Paris court gave him a half-decade term for criminal conspiracy related to a plan to obtain campaign funds for his 2007 presidential race.

He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial planned for early next year.