Bernie Has Called to Free Lula. Why Won’t the Rest of the Democratic Field?
Despite overwhelming evidence that former Brazilian president Lula da Silva was the victim of a right-wing campaign to keep him out of another presidential term by jailing him, Bernie Sanders is the only Democratic candidate who has called for his release. The rest of the party’s presidential candidates should demand that Lula be freed, too.
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In June, Bernie Sanders called for former Brazilian president Lula da Silva to be released from prison.
Today, it is clearer than ever that Lula da Silva was imprisoned in a politicized prosecution that denied him a fair trial and due process. During his presidency, Lula oversaw huge reductions in poverty and remains Brazil’s most popular politician. I stand with political and social leaders across the globe who are calling on Brazil’s judiciary to release Lula and annul his conviction.
Four months and multiple Democratic debates later, none of the other candidates have followed his lead. That’s a travesty. Not only is Lula a political prisoner by any reasonable definition, but he’s a figure who should be celebrated by anyone who wants to defeat the global forces of right-wing populism.
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