🔗 Share this article The Former French President to Pen Jail Diary Chronicling His 20 Days Incarcerated Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account next month named Notes from a Cell, detailing the period spent in custody. The revelation emerged shortly after Sarkozy gained freedom while he contests the court ruling for unlawful coordination regarding a scheme to acquire election campaign funds linked to the government of former Libyan leader. Life Behind Bars: Personal Reflections “Behind bars one sees little, with little to occupy time,” he writes in one passage, implying the account is more about his reflections while in solitary confinement rather than a broader observation on the packed and struggling jail system in France. “Silence escapes me, not present at the prison, where there is constant sound,” he continues. “The racket is alas constant. But, just like the desert, inner life is strengthened behind bars.” Court Appearance: Recounting the Hardship While appealing for release, the former leader participated via screen from his cell, characterizing his incarceration as draining. He had told the court: “I wish to commend those working in the jail, showing great humanity, easing this nightmare tolerable – as it truly is one.” “It never crossed my mind that at 70 years of age, I’d find myself behind bars. It’s a hardship I must endure. I admit it’s difficult, it’s very hard. It leaves a mark on any prisoner due to its intensity.” Historical Context The former president, who led the nation from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as past president in the European Union and the first leader since WWII in the French Republic to be incarcerated. Ahead of his incarceration he mentioned he would use his time for authoring a memoir. Books in Prison Unconfirmed is if he found the opportunity to go through the volumes he brought with him: a life story of Jesus spanning two books together with Dumas’s work the classic tale, where a wrongfully accused individual is sentenced to jail then breaks out to take revenge. Life in Confinement Sarkozy was placed in isolation due to safety concerns in a space of about nine sq metres with his own shower and toilet at La Santé prison in Paris. Two bodyguards were stationed in a neighbouring cell. Sources mentioned that he had eaten only yoghurts in prison because he feared meals provided could have been tampered with. He had facilities for self-catering but he turned this down, according to reports. It is uncertain if he will detail meals during incarceration. Lawyer’s Statements His attorney, who saw him regularly every day while he was in prison, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison rather than in custody. “He received threats against his life, has heard screaming after dark and the urgent intervention next door as a detainee harmed themselves.” Legal Proceedings He entered custody last month following a Paris court sentenced him to a half-decade term for illegal collaboration in connection with efforts to secure political donations for his presidential bid. He disputes the charges and has appealed against the verdict, and a fresh trial is scheduled for the coming spring.