His prison blog has delighted thousands with stories of how jailed former prime minister José Sócrates was dealing with a cell infestation by fleas, and being delivered a regular supply of erotic videos by his ex-wife’s husband.
He has described how Sócrates has been allowed to ‘bend prison rules in his favour’: his cell is never ‘frisked’ by guards; he is not handcuffed when taken in to Lisbon for questioning; he has been allowed a warm scarf in winter and even ‘high boots’ to ward off the Alentejo cold – two “privileges” not extended to any other inmates.
But now prisoner number 25 – PJ inspector João de Sousa – is in hot water.
Prison bosses do not like his blog “Dos Dois Lados das Grades” and have told the man whose wife posts new texts for him online every Saturday that he faces strict punishments if he goes on revealing “opinions and commentary” about another prisoner.
Sousa does not believe, he writes, that the threats follow pressures from Sócrates, or his supporters – but now he faces the prospect of being locked in his cell for 22 hours of every 24.
Sousa’s contention is that preferential treatment given a prisoner, in this case the former prime minister who led the country into the hands of the troika, is an irregularity that deserves mention.
For now, Sousa’s blog is still online and prison bosses are apparently deciding what to do next.
