🔗 Share this article The Former French President to Pen Jail Diary Detailing His 20 Days In Custody The ex-president of France will soon publish a memoir this autumn called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his time spent in custody. This news emerged just 11 days after the ex-leader was released while his appeal proceeds the court ruling for criminal conspiracy in a case to acquire election campaign funds linked to the government of the late Libyan dictator. Life Behind Bars: Solitary Musings “In prison there is nothing to see, with little to occupy time,” he writes in an extract, indicating the account centers around his thoughts during isolation as opposed to extensive analysis on the overcrowded and struggling jail system in France. “I forget silence, not present in La Santé, where one hears endless commotion,” he adds. “The noise persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, one’s inner world grows stronger in prison.” Freedom Plea: Describing the Ordeal While appealing for release, the former leader participated by video link from inside the facility, describing his time inside as draining. He expressed in court: “I must acknowledge those working in the jail, who are exceptionally humane, easing this ordeal tolerable – because it is a nightmare.” “It never crossed my mind at this stage of life, I’d be in prison. It’s a trial I must endure. I confess it’s hard, extremely tough. It affects one all who experience it as it’s exhausting.” Historical Context The former president, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, was the first former head of an EU country and the initial post-WWII figure from France to experience jail. Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he would use his time for authoring a memoir. Reading Material It remains unclear 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, in which a blameless person is imprisoned but escapes to seek vengeance. Prison Conditions He was held secluded for his own security in a room of about nine sq metres including private facilities at La Santé prison located in the capital. Security personnel occupied a neighbouring cell. It was stated that he had eaten solely dairy snacks while inside because he feared prison cuisine might have been spat on. Although he had access to cook for himself yet he declined, according to reports. It is uncertain if he will detail what he ate in prison. Legal Perspective His attorney, who saw him regularly each day while he was in prison, stated during proceedings he would be safer outside jail compared to inside. “He received menacing messages, heard shouts at night and the urgent intervention next door during an inmate’s self-injury.” Legal Proceedings He entered custody in late October following a French court gave him five years in prison for illegal collaboration over a scheme to acquire campaign funds during his election campaign. He denies wrongdoing and is contesting the ruling, and another court case set for the coming spring.