đ Share this article Nicolas Sarkozy Preparing to Release Jail Diary Chronicling Three Weeks Behind Bars Nicolas Sarkozy is preparing a personal account next month called Diary of a Prisoner, chronicling his experience spent behind bars. This news came just 11 days following the ex-leader was released as he appeals his conviction on charges of criminal conspiracy connected to efforts to acquire presidential race money linked to the leadership of former Libyan leader. Time in Custody: Personal Reflections âBehind bars one sees little, and activities are scarce,â he writes in an extract, suggesting the account centers around his musings from isolation as opposed to a broader observation on the strained and crisis-hit jail system in France. âQuiet is absent, not present in La SantĂ©, where there is endless commotion,â he adds. âThe noise persists relentlessly. Yet, similar to barren lands, personal reflection grows stronger behind bars.â Freedom Plea: Recounting the Hardship At his release request hearing, he was present via screen from inside the facility, characterizing his incarceration as exhausting. He stated to the judge: âI wish to commend the correctional officers, displaying remarkable compassion, easing this nightmare bearable â because it is a nightmare.â âIt never crossed my mind that in my seventies, Iâd be in prison. Itâs a trial I must endure. I confess itâs hard, itâs very hard. It affects one all who experience it as itâs exhausting.â First of Its Kind He, the ex-head of state from 2007 to 2012, set a precedent as former head in the European Union and the initial post-WWII figure of France to be incarcerated. Before entering jail he mentioned he planned to utilize the opportunity for authoring a memoir. Reading Material It is not certain did he manage to go through the texts he brought with him: a biography of Jesus in two parts and Alexandre Dumasâs novel the famous story, where a wrongfully accused individual ends up incarcerated then breaks out to exact retribution. Daily Reality The former leader was placed in solitary confinement to protect him in a room of about nine sq metres featuring a personal bathroom at the correctional facility in Paris. Two bodyguards stayed in a neighbouring cell. Reports indicated that he had eaten only yoghurts in prison because he feared any food could have been tampered with. Options were available to prepare his own meals yet he declined, as per accounts. Not known is if he will detail his dietary choices. Lawyerâs Statements His attorney, who saw him regularly daily during the incarceration, told the release hearing he would be safer out of prison than inside. âHe received death threats, heard shouts after dark and emergency responses in an adjacent room as a detainee harmed themselves.â Case Background His incarceration began in late October following a Paris court gave him five years in prison for criminal conspiracy over a scheme to acquire campaign funds for his presidential bid. He maintains his innocence and has appealed against the verdict, with a new trial planned for early next year.