Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has defended the trial which saw his predecessor in office, Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.
Lula, a left-wing leader, who is known for his direct tone, did not mince his words in his New York Times editorial.
“The US government is using tariffs and the Magnitsky Act to seek impunity for former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Lula wrote, referring to the sanctions which the US has imposed on the Supreme Court justice who led the trial against Bolsonaro.
In his New York Times article, Lula insisted the trial was “not a ‘witch hunt'”.
Lula also dismissed the Trump administration’s accusations that Brazil’s justice system had targeted and censored US tech firms.
Brazil’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has defended the trial which saw his predecessor in office, Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.
US President Donald Trump referred to the trial as a “witch hunt,” but Lula argued in a New York Times opinion piece that it was a “historic decision which safeguards our institutions and the democratic rule of law.”.
In order to have an honest conversation with US President Donald Trump, who has placed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports, the Brazilian leader claimed to have written the essay.
The tariff increase was described by Lula as “not only misguided but illogical.”.
In sharp contrast to the period when Trump’s Brazilian counterpart, Jair Bolsonaro, was in office, relations between the United States and Brazil have been tense in recent months.
Trump invited Bolsonaro to his Mar-a-Lago resort in 2020, and Bolsonaro frequently showed his admiration for the president.
Known for his blunt style, Lula, a left-wing leader, was unapologetic in his editorial in the New York Times.
He claimed that the US had “accumulated a surplus of $410bn (£302bn) in bilateral trade in goods and services” over the previous 15 years and that the imposition of the tariffs could only be a political decision.
“The United States government is using tariffs and the Magnitsky Act to seek impunity for former President Jair Bolsonaro,” Lula wrote, alluding to the sanctions the US has placed on the justice of the Supreme Court who presided over Bolsonaro’s trial.
Four of the five Supreme Court justices who were assigned to judge Bolsonaro found him guilty of all five of the charges against him, bringing the trial to a close on Thursday. To find him guilty, a simple majority was required.
The 27-year, 3-month prison sentence that Bolsonaro received is one that his attorneys say they will appeal.
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio declared that the US would “respond accordingly to this witch hunt,” while Trump said he found the verdict “very surprising.”.
Lula maintained in his article in the New York Times that the trial was “not a ‘witch hunt’.”.
He wrote, “The judgment was the result of proceedings carried out in accordance with Brazil’s 1988 Constitution, enacted after two decades of struggle against a military dictatorship,” reminding readers that after 20 years of military rule, democracy was restored in Brazil in 1985.
Lula also denied the Trump administration’s claims that US tech companies were singled out and censored by Brazil’s legal system.
According to the Brazilian president, US companies were not being treated unfairly and his nation’s courts had the right to regulate the internet.
He addressed President Trump directly as he wrapped up his essay, informing him that while Brazil is still willing to negotiate “anything that can bring mutual benefits,” “Brazil’s democracy and sovereignty are not on the table.”.
