A global call to action: Free Lula!
The legal manoeuvres carried out over the weekend in Brazil are a new chapter in a coup that's objective is clear: Keep Lula Da Silva away from the ballot in the next presidential elections.
After Brazilian judge Rogério Favreto ordered the release of President Lula by accepting the writ of habeas corpus presented by three representatives of the Partido de los Trabajadores (Workers' Party), the Federal Police decided to disobey and act in an illegal and autonomous manner. In addition to this, Judge Sergio Moro who was on vacation at the time, tried to suspend the release order without having the jurisdictional authority to do so, and then that of João Pedro Neto, who finally ordered the suspension of Judge Favreto's decision and to keep the president in prison, leaving no room for doubt that Lula is a political prisoner.
Marcio Monzane, Regional Secretary of UNI Americas said: "This is a sad day for the already dying Brazilian democracy. With a maneuver never done before, the Federal Police not only failed to comply with the court order, but, through an unlawful act, kept Lula illegally in prison so that a judge who was not on duty would reverse the decision. "
"We already said it during the Congress in Liverpool together with Dilma Rousseff, we will continue to demand that free and democratic elections are guaranteed in Brazil. We will not rest until this is a reality: Free Lula!".
In Brazil, the nine governors of the Northeast plus those of Minas Gerais and Acre, published an Official Note condemning the position of Judge Sérgio Moro who contradicted the order of Judge Favrero, hierarchically superior to him, to release President Lula. Likewise, the International Human Rights Foundation granted Lula the status of political prisoner after his release was illegally breached.
“Corporations and the moneyed-elites do not want Lula in office because his government lifted tens-of-millions of Brazilians out of poverty and championed trade union rights. He has stood with working people his whole life, and the global labour movement will keep standing with him until he is cleared of these trumped-up charges", said Christy Hoffman, General Secretary of UNI.
UNI together with all its affiliates will continue to demand justice for Lula.