Lula hails Bolsonaro verdict, tells Trump Brazil’s democracy not negotiable

Brazil’s president, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, has slammed the sweeping tariffs imposed by the United States connected his state arsenic “misguided” and “illogical”, portion besides dismissing Washington’s disapproval implicit the conviction of the country’s erstwhile leader, Jair Bolsonaro, connected coup charges.

The comments, published successful an op-ed successful The New York Times connected Sunday, came arsenic Bolsonaro made his archetypal nationalist quality since past week’s condemnation for a infirmary visit.

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In his essay, Lula said helium wanted to found “an unfastened and frank dialogue” with his US counterpart, Donald Trump, implicit his administration’s decision to enforce a 50 percent tariff connected Brazilian products.

He noted that the US has a commercialized surplus with Brazil, accumulating a surplus of $410bn successful commercialized implicit the past 15 years, making it wide that the White House’s information was political.

The tariffs, Lula wrote, are aimed astatine seeking “impunity” for Bolsanaro, whom helium accused of orchestrating the riots successful Brasilia connected January 8, 2023, erstwhile the erstwhile leader’s supporters stormed the statesmanlike palace, the Supreme Court and the Congress successful protestation implicit his predetermination decision the erstwhile year.

Lula responded connected Sunday to Trump’s accusations that the prosecution of Bolsonaro was a ‘witch-hunt’ [File: AFP]

The events successful the Brazilian superior echoed the storming of the US Capitol by Trump’s supporters connected January 6, 2021, aft helium insisted for months, without evidence, that determination had been wide fraud during the predetermination helium mislaid to his Democratic rival, Joe Biden.

Lula described Bolsonaro’s actions arsenic “an effort to subvert the fashionable volition astatine the ballot box” and said helium was arrogant of the Brazilian Supreme Court’s “historic decision” connected Thursday to sentence Bolsonaro to 27 years and 3 months successful prison.

“This was not a ‘witch hunt’,” helium wrote.

Instead, it “safeguards” Brazil’s institutions and the antiauthoritarian regularisation of law, helium added.

Brazil’s ideology ‘not connected table’

Lula’s op-ed comes aft Trump’s caput of state, Marco Rubio, threatened much enactment against Brazil implicit Bolsonaro’s conviction. In summation to the tariffs, the US has besides sanctioned Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who has overseen Bolsonaro’s trial, and revoked visas for astir of the precocious court’s justices.

For his part, Trump, who has repeatedly labelled the judicial proceedings a “witch-hunt” and who has explicitly linked the import taxation to Bolsonaro’s trial, has said helium was amazed by the ruling.

The US president, who had faced transgression charges implicit the January 6 riots, likened the proceedings against Bolsonaro to the ineligible actions against him.

“It’s precise overmuch similar they tried to bash with me, but they didn’t get distant with it,” Trump told reporters connected Thursday, describing the erstwhile person arsenic a “good president” and a “good man”.

In his op-ed, Lula said the US’s determination to crook its backmost connected a narration of much than 200 years means that “everyone loses” and said the 2 countries should proceed to enactment unneurotic successful areas wherever they person communal goals.

“President Trump, we stay unfastened to negotiating thing that tin bring communal benefits. But Brazil’s ideology and sovereignty are not connected the table,” helium wrote.

Economists successful Brazil estimation that Trump’s tariffs would wounded the country’s economy, including the loss of tens of thousands of jobs, but not derail it, fixed its beardown commercialized ties with different countries specified arsenic China. The US besides softened the stroke later, by granting hundreds of exceptions, including connected craft parts and orangish juice.

US consumers, meanwhile, are paying much for products imported from Brazil, including coffee, which has already seen caller terms rises due to droughts.

In Brasilia, meanwhile, Bolsonaro, who is nether location arrest, near his location to acquisition a aesculapian process to region respective tegument lesions.

His doctor, Claudio Birolini, told reporters that the erstwhile president had 8 tegument lesions removed and sent for biopsies.

He added that Bolsonaro, who has had aggregate operations successful caller years owed to complications from a 2018 stabbing successful his stomach, was “quite weak” and had developed flimsy anaemia, “probably owed to mediocre nutrition implicit the past month”.

Dozens of supporters gathered extracurricular the infirmary to cheer connected the ex-president, waving Brazilian flags and shouting, “Amnesty now!”.

The chant is successful notation to the propulsion of Bolsonaro’s allies successful Congress to assistance the erstwhile president immoderate benignant of amnesty.

“We’re present to supply spiritual and intelligence support,” Deuselis Filho, 46, told the Associated Press quality agency.

Thursday’s condemnation does not mean that Bolsonaro volition instantly spell to prison. The tribunal sheet present has up to 60 days to people the ruling. Once it does, Bolsonaro’s lawyers person 5 days to record motions for clarification.

His lawyers person said that they volition effort to entreaty some the condemnation and condemnation earlier the afloat Supreme Court of 11 justices, though immoderate experts deliberation it is improbable to beryllium accepted.