Curitiba, Paraná,Brazil – 5/18/2018 – 10.30 PM
1 – Former Human Rights Ministers Nilmário Miranda, Paulo Vannuchi and Rogério Sotilli went to the Federal Police headquarters where Lula is being held as a political prisoner tonight in order to try to visit him. They were not able to do so and left three messages that were delivered to the former President of the Republic. On leaving the Federal Police, they stated that they had talked with the officer in charge and that a new visit would be requested through Lula’s defense. They denounced Lula’s imprisonment as unjust and arbitrary, and the result of an unfair trial that led to a conviction without evidence. The three former ministers stressed that they will, in various fora, continue to denounce the imprisonment of Lula as a serious violation of human rights.
2 – Nilmário Miranda and the president of the Human Rights Commission of the Legislative Assembly of Paraná, Congressman Tadeu Veneri (PT), participated in the traditional “good morning, President Lula” yell and later spoke to those present at the encampment about the legal and media violence committed against Lula. They participated in a debate on Brazil’s anti-asylum movement and Nilmário gave a press conference. Read more here: http://www.pt.org.br/nilmario-isolamento-de-lula-e-como-pena-adicional-sem-amparo-legal/
3- Former minister Paulo Vannuchi will be present at the Democratic #LulaLivre Vigil this morning (19). Vanucchi participated in a debate at the Federal University of Paraná (UFPR) on Friday night and presented a letter from Paulo Sérgio Pinheiro, former Minister of Human Rights of the Fernando Henrique Cardoso government (1995-2002), which also denounced the legal farce perpetrated by Judge Sérgio Moro and the injustice committed against Lula. According to Vannuchi, Pinheiro would have attended the debate, but is in New York at a meeting of the UN.
4- Throughout Friday afternoon, several events were held with representatives of Brazil’s black movements in defense of #LulaLivre. The PT National Secretary for the Fight against Racism, Martvs Chagas, former Secretary of Education in Minas Gerais State, Macaé Evaristo, President of the Brazilian Association of Black Researchers (ABPN), Ana Benite, and Georgina Lima (ABPN South) participated in an meeting on the imprisonment of Lula and also on the advances of his government in social, educational and anti-racism policies.
5- Please note that the coordinating committee of the #LulaLivre Vigil wishes to reaffirm that any donation should be made through the official channels already advertised by the organization. For cash donations, please refer to www.vigilialulalivre.pt.org.br; donations of food or clothing should be made at the Vigil tent. The coordinating committee advises people not to make donations to accounts in the name of physical persons. There have been reports of messages being sent out to ask for such donations. The National Secretariat of Finance of the PT also advises: http://www.pt.org.br/emidio-de-souza-site-oficial-e-unica-forma-de-arrecadar-para-vigilia/
Bulletin 84 – Popular Committee in Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba – 5/18/2018 – 23.00 PM
