Curitiba, Parana,Brazil– 4/26/2018 – 7:30 PM
1. São Paulo City Councilman Eduardo Suplicy delivered 3000 letters to Lula today, that he received in his Cabinet from across the country. During the morning, when he entered the Federal Police building where Lula is being detained as a political prisoner, he was unable to deliver the material. Afterwords he visited the 12th Penal Executions Court to meet with Judge Carolina Lebbos, who has repeatedly denied visitations to Lula, including that of his doctor. The Judge delegated the decision to the Federal Police and Suplicy was able to deliver the letters through the intermediation of Lula’s children.
2. During the afternoon, Councilman Suplicy visited the Marisa Leticia Camp and, accompanied by Congressman Leonardo Monteiro (PT- Minas Gerais) gave an interview to the press and participated in an event in the #LulaLivre Vigil in which he read a few of the letters that he delivered to Lula.
3. Youth from the MST painted a banner to honor Marisa Leticia, the wife of ex-President Lula who died a little over a year ago, and named one of the camps after her. The activity occurred during this Thursday. Since the camp was founded people from the MST have painted 8 banners and they are being used to designate different areas and tents in the Vigil. The next banner will feature a quote of Rosa Luxemburg’s in Spanish, “For a World where we will be socially equal, humanly different and totally free.”
4. On Friday, April 27, at 6:30 PM there will be a “lights for Lula” event, during which candles will be lit and prayers made in support of #LulaLivre. This afternoon, a group of women in the camp sewed a blanket which will be delivered to the ex-President.
5. The 7 largest union federations in Brazil have confirmed that they will participate in a unified protest in Curitiba, Paraná on May 1. This is the first time that all 7 federations have united in a protest under common causes. The accomplishment is being treated as a historic event by the directors of the federations and they have defined the central demands as #LulaLivre and fighting against the labor and retirement pension reforms. The act on May Day will take place at 2 PM on Santos Andrade Square in Curitiba. Before that, everyone will give the traditional “Good Morning” yell to ex-President Lula. Union leaders from other countries will also take part in the event.
6. In Brasilia, 1400 kilometers from Curitiba, an episode marked the State of Exception in which the Country is engulfed. At the Presidential Palace, security guards barred entrance of social movement activists who were wearing #LulaLivre t-shirts in defense of freedom for ex-President Lula, in protest against his condemnation without proof. Even an indigenous woman was barred from entering because she was wearing a headdress. The activists were trying to participate in the 20thPlenary Session of the National Agroecology and Organic Production Commission. The security guards at the Presidential Palace adopted the protocol of a regime of exception, and gave no justification for their actions. The Federal Public Prosecutor for Citizens Rights, Deborah Duprat, requested clarification from the President of the Republic’s Chief of Staff over the episode.
Bulletin 49 – People’s Committee for the Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba – 4/26/2018 – 7:30 PM
