Bulletin 142 – People’s Committee in Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil – 7/10/2018 – 9PM
1. Former Chilean President Michelle Bachelet headed a manifesto signed by 42 other politicians and leaders from her country to appeal to the Brazilian Judiciary so that it respects the Constitution and guarantees ex-President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva the right to run in the elections this October. The “Declaration in Defense of Democracy in Brazil and of President Lula” warns of the risks of the electoral process losing its legitimacy if the ex-President is barred from running. Read more: http://www.pt.org.br/michelle-bachelet-lidera-peticao-para-que-lula-seja-candidato/
2. The journalist and blogger Eduardo Guimarães spent the day today in the #LulaLivre Vigil. He was the victim of abusive coercive conduct decreed by Operation Car Wash judge Sergio Moro last year, after he wrote on his blog that Lula would be victim of equally abusive coercive conduct by the same judge. Guimarães was declared innocent, since he was only performing his duties as a journalist, but even so he had to travel from São Paulo to Curitiba to retrieve his work equipment: a laptop computer and two cellphones which Moro had ordered the Federal Police to confiscate after becoming annoyed with Guimarães’ article.
3. Today, on the 95th day of the #LulaLivre Vigil, Elza Campos, the Social Movements Secretary of the PC do B in Paraná, participated in the “good morning” yell to the ex-President. Afterwords she said that Lula is a political prisoner and that he became a kidnapping victim in the hands of the Federal Police last Sunday, when a judicial order guaranteeing the ex-President’s freedom was disobeyed.
4. This afternoon Izabel Grein, from the Landless Rural Workers Movement (MST-Paraná), facilitated a gender and sexuality workshop in the Vigil. Two other workshops were also held. The first was a debate, facilitated by Helem Lima from the Frente Brasil Popular, about a project for Brazil. The second, facilitated by Sônia Gutierrez, was called “photomontage – building discussions with images”.
5. On Sunday, July 8th, the Brazilian researcher and opera singer Ligiana Costa was awarded the Flaiano Literature Prize in Pescara, Italy, and dedicated it to ex-President Lula. With a sign that demanded freedom for Lula in English (#FreeLula), she spoke of the strategic role the ex-President played for research and culture in Brazil, by creating 17 public universities. She received one of Italy’s most important literary awards for her book “O Corrego”, about 17th Century theater. Read more here: https://twitter.com/lulaoficial/status/101631848598769666
6. The Lula Livre Festival will take place in Rio de Janeiro on July 28th, under the Lapa Aqueduct, with Brazilian and Latin American artists, intellectuals and social movements. It will be a day of celebration and struggle in defense of democracy and for freedom for Lula, who was imprisoned without a single piece of proof after a trial full of irregularities and with the clear violation of the rule of law. The first edition of the event took place in Argentina on May 19th, with the name Lula Festiva, bringing together artists and thousands of youth at the Plaza de Mayo.
Bulletin 142 – People’s Committee in Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil – 7/10/2018 – 9PM
