Curitiba, Paraná, Brazil – 5/8/2018 – 8:40 PM
1. For the second time, an organ of the Federal Congress was barred from conducting an inspection of the Federal Police headquarters installations in Curitiba where ex-President Lula is being held as a political prisoner. This time it was the Human Rights and Minorities Commission that was barred, exposing yet again the arbitrary behaviour by Judge Carolina Lebbos, from the 12th Federal Court of Paraná. Congress members Luiz Couto (PT- Paraiba), Luizianne Lins (PT-Ceará), Marcon (PT-Rio Grande do Sul) , Maria do Rosário (PT-Rio Grande do Sul) and Patrus Ananias (PT- Minas Gerais) went to Curitiba to and denounced this abuse of authority today, May 8th. In accordance with the Constitution, they are able to visit incarceration facilities in any location in the country, without the need for advance authorization. The Human Rights and Minorities Commission will now file a complaint to the President of Congress against the Judge.
2. In the same context, the Mercosur Parliament Human Rights Commission (Parlasul) was also barred from inspecting the facilities where the ex-President of Brazil is being detained. With this action Judge Carolina Lebbos has now barred parliamentarians from Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay and Venezuela from complying with a decision made by the Commission based on international treaties related to inspection of human rights issues in the countries that make up Mercusur. “We continue to insist to see him and to converse with Lula personally. We want to ask him if he feels that his human rights are being respected in prison. We will insist on seeing him, even if the Judge won’t let us,” said Argentinian Parliamentarian Cecilia Britto, president of the Commission.
3. The elected President Dilma Rousseff denounced the state of exception in Brazil and Lula’s political imprisonment in British Parliament today. She was received by Parliamentarian Jeremy Corbyn, leader of the Labor Party and of the opposition in the House of Commons, and Emily Thornberry, who is also a Labor Party Parliamentarian. Dilma detailed the abuses committed by the Public Prosecutors Office and by Judge Sergio Moro in the condemnation of Lula and alerted them about grave threats to Brazilian democracy. She received support from both parliamentarians, who have committed themselves to join the #LulaLivre campaign.
4. Lula sent a letter to the National Mayors Front today, in which he discussed themes such as Health, Public Security, Fighting Corruption, and the Economy. In the text, in addition to stating his position on those themes, he defended a dialogue with the population and with all areas of government so that Brazil can re-encounter the road to democracy. Read the letter below:http://www.pt.org.br/carta-do-ex-president-lula-a-frente-nacional-de-prefeitos/
5. Luiz Fernando Pereira, specialist in electoral law, published a legal opinion detailing the legality and viability of ex-President Lula’s candidacy, even after his arbitrary political imprisonment decreed by Judge Sergio Moro. Read the opinion here: http://www.pt.org.br/luiz-fernando-pereira-a-prisão-de-lula-nao-aprisiona-a-candidatura
Bulletin 68 – People’s Committee for the Defense of Lula and Democracy
Curitiba – 5/8/2018 – 8:40 PM
