June 20, 2019

The following is a statement released June 11 by The International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity, a network of concerned individuals from several countries in Europe, Latin America and North America dedicated to help defend the sovereignty of developing nations. Formerly the International Committee for the Freedom of the Cuban 5, the ICPJD’s main objective is now to raise awareness among the people of the United States about the effects of the U.S. blockade against the Cuban people, and to defend developing nations.

Since 2016 we have been denouncing the judicial, media and parliamentary coup against Dilma Rousseff, who was stripped from power, with the aim of destroying the Workers’ Party of Brazil (PT) and its historic leader Luiz Inacio “Lula” da Silva in order to prevent him from returning to the presidency.

Removing Dilma from power, replacing her with the usurper Michel Temer, launching a fierce persecution against Lula, imprisoning him without evidence, violating constitutional guarantees of the right to due process, and preventing him [from being] a candidate in the elections was the script used to prevent him from redirecting the destiny of Latin America’s largest country.

The judicial plot concocted in the Lava Jato operation, initially promoted by the PT itself, was directed by the prosecutor of the Federal Public Ministry, Deltan Dallagnol, who formed the “anti-corruption” prosecutors’ task force, the case of which fell intentionally to former examining magistrate Sergio Moro, who was awarded the post of Minister of Justice by the current far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.

We have always claimed that Lula was innocent, that Lula was the object of political witch hunt, as are other Latin American leaders such as Cristina Fernández of Argentina, Jorge Glass and Rafael Correa of Ecuador.

This past Sunday, June 9, the Brazilian correspondent for the digital magazine The Intercept brought to light the truth by publishing a series of telegram messages that highlight the gross violations of the Brazilian Constitution and the irregularities committed by Sergio Moro and Prosecutor Dallagnol to plot the condemnation of Lula and ultimately gave Bolsonaro power.

Concerning the ownership of Guarujá’s famous apartment, for which Lula was accused and convicted of owning but never did, prosecutor Dallagnol himself expressed doubts about how to build the case to indict the PT leader. Judge Moro, who always boasted of supposed impartiality, was in fact the one who suggested, advised and indicated how to invent and carry out the crude assembly of corruption to incriminate Lula.

Moro always denied it was all politically motivated against Lula, but what The Intercept revealed proves otherwise. Moro consulted Dallagnol and guided him in the investigations; in one of the chats he suggests contacting a source against Lula. Dallagnol later explains that he called the source, but the source wouldn’t talk. “I’m thinking of making a subpoena [to the source], even based on apocryphal news,” says Dallagnol.

The montage to criminalize the PT, Dilma and Lula was brewed for more than two years, from 2015 to 2017. In 2018, prosecutors coordinated how to prevent an interview with Lula requested by the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper and authorized by Brazil’s Federal Supreme Court prior to the elections. They [needed] to prevent Lula from publicly asking the people to vote for Fernando Haddad. In one of the leaked messages a prosecutor says: “The decision (of the Supreme Court to authorize the interview) has no date, so we can schedule it after the election.”

Lula was silenced to favor the election of Bolsonaro who presented himself to the electorate as the champion of anti-corruption.

The messages that [have] come to light reveal the sinister plot against Lula and hatred of the PT. Glen Greenwald, an investigative reporter for The Intercept, … [a] prestigious journalist awarded the Pulitzer for revealing Edward Snowden’s revelations about the secret PRISM surveillance program, assures that “the file provided by our source is one of the largest in the history of journalism.” It contains explosive secrets in chats, audios and documents about Dallagnol, Moro and many powerful factions. Our reporting is just beginning.”

This developing Morogate could be transformed into a Brazilgate [to end Bolsonaro’s presidency]; it reminds us of the infamous Watergate case and how the revelations of two journalists about the illegal wiretapping at the headquarters of the Democratic Party ended [U.S. President] Nixon’s government.

Moro and Dallagnol acted in a calculated, coordinated manner, mocking the Constitution of Brazil and the principle of impartiality, to imprison Lula and prevent the triumph of the PT.

The flawed trial against Lula must be annulled.

The International Committee for Peace, Justice and Dignity demands once again the immediate freedom of Lula, the public recognition of his innocence and the decriminalization of the PT.

Sergio Moro, Dallagnol and all those who mocked the principle of justice to strip Dilma of power condemn Lula and hand Brazil over to the hands of the fascist Bolsonaro are the ones who must be tried and condemned.

We hope our solidarity will reach the people and workers of Brazil who will paralyze the country, demanding respect for their rights and gains achieved, and the freedom of Lula, in the general strike they will carry out on June 14.

A lot of strength to the workers, peasants and students of Brazil. Much strength and hope to Lula who will soon be free. #LulaLivre.