Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil – 6/25/2018 – 8:30 PM
- The day at the #LulaLivre Democratic Vigil began with the resistance activists wishing good morning to the ex-President, as they have done for 79 straight days. The persecution of Lula, held as a political prisoner in the Federal Police headquarters building in Curitiba, was highlighted by Florisvaldo Sousa, the former National Secretary of the PT. He emphasized that part of the Judiciary, especially within Operation Car Wash, is applying the law with two weights and measures, one for Lula and the PT members, and another for members of the PSDB, characterized by a clear bias in disrespect to the law and the Constitution.
- On this Monday, the day which is set aside for visits from spiritual leaders, the evangelical Christian pastor Ariovaldo Ramos, leader of the Evangelical Front for the Rule of Law from São Paulo, visited the ex-President. Afterwords he said that the ex-President is doing well and does not want to transfer to house arrest but wants his freedom because he is innocent, since he was condemned in an unjust and arbitrary manner without proof by Judge Sergio Moro. Read more here: http://www.pt.org.br/lula-nao-quero-indulto-ou-prisao-domiciliar/
- The “good afternoon” yell to ex-President Lula was led by a group of teachers from Mato Grosso, Minas Gerais and Paraiba. They emphasized the advances that were made in public eduction during the PT governments and called for freedom for Lula. The “good night” yell to Lula featured participation from former Planning Minister Miriam Belchior. She spoke of the importance of the Democratic Vigil in denouncing Lula’s arbitrary imprisonment to Brazil and the world and reaffirmed that he is the PT’s candidate for the presidency of the Republic in the October elections.
- The maneuver that blocked the Federal Supreme Court’s scheduled ruling on the motion that could free Lula from prison, reverberated through the most respected legal scholars in Brazil. More than 200 of them released a manifesto criticizing the decision by Minister Edson Fachin to dismiss the motion made by the ex-President’s defense team, following the decision by the 4th Federal District Court (TR-4). Read the letter, entitled, “In defense of the presumption of innocence and against actions that weaken the Constitution”, here: http://www.pt.org.br/em-carta-326-juristas-condenam-manobra-de-fachin-contra-lula/
- More than 5 years after the end of Lula’s second mandate, his legacy is remembered in a positive way by the majority of Brazilians. This is the conclusion of a study conducted by Instituto Análise which was released in the O Globo newspaper this Sunday, June 24th. According to the numbers released, 65% evaluate the years of the Lula government (2003-2010) as good or excellent. This percentage is identical to studies published after his first year of government in 2004. Lula is also considered to be the most qualified person to recuperate economic growth. Read more here: http://www.pt.org.br/65-dos-brasileiros-aprovam-governo-lula-mesmo-indice-de-2004/
- Today, on June 25th, Lula’s defense team filed a complaint against the decision of the Vice President of the 4th Federal District Court (TR-4), Maria de Fátima Laberrére, to block the filing of an extraordinary appeal to the Federal Supreme Court against the judgment in the beachfront apartment case, which culminated in the political imprisonment of the ex-President. The defense reiterated its position that there are serious violations of the Constitution in the case, such as the principle of natural justice, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty, of ample defense and of the impartiality of the public prosecutors office. Read more here: http://www.pt.org.br/defesa-de-lula-entra-com-agravo-contra-decisao-de-juiza-do-trf4/
Bulletin 127 – People’s Committee in Defense of Lula and Democracy, Federal Police, evangelical Christian pastor Ariovaldo Ramos,
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil – 6/25/2018 – 8:30 PM