In reality, Lula was jailed to stop him standing for President against far-right extremist Jair Bolsonaro, because the polls clearly showed he would have won the election. He was jailed to prevent the people overturning the legislative coup that had removed his successor as President Dilma Rousseff. And he was jailed to prevent the continuation of the pro-poor, pro-environment policies Lula and Dilma introduced.
The UN Human Rights Committee called for Lula to be allowed to stand in the Presidential elections. But the Brazilian elite knew that they could not win at the ballot box which is why Dilma was deposed and Lula jailed.
Workers in Brazil are now paying the price, with social justice measures being rolled back, insecure employment promoted, and unions being attacked. The thuggish and corrupt Bolsonaro regime is attacking the environment, women and LGBT communities, and grovelling to Donald Trump in the USA.
The ITUC’s Brazilian affiliates are supporting a global day of action on Tuesday 20 August to draw attention to Lula’s status as a political prisoner.
Now you can take part in the campaign to #FreeLula, by:
- signing the petition to annul the trials that led to Lula’s imprisonment
- calling for his freedom on twitter on August 20 (especially between 12:00 and 14:00 Brasilia time) using the hashtags #LulaLivre #LulaLibre #FreeLula #500InjusticeDays; and
- submitting your statements and details of action you’re taking (for registration, memory and disclosure) to [email protected] and [email protected]