Correa: US Turning Blind Eye to Lula Persecution While Vilifying Venezuela

The United States and other foreign actors are inconsistent in their approach to dealing with various Latin American countries according to former Ecuadorean President Rafael Correa. 

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Speaking in Murcia, Spain, Correa said that if the current campaign being carried out against former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio 'Lula' da Silva was taking place in Venezuela or any other country that country would have been invaded or been on the receiving end of heavy sanctions.

"If what they are doing to Lula da Silva would have happened in Venezuela, that country would already be invaded, but because it is Lula nothing happens," he said. 

Correa also pointed out that even his country has experienced setbacks because “there are no ethics or responsible politicians.”

He said a successful march was organized in the Ecuadorean capital of Quito Tuesday, where demonstrators expressed their rejection to his successor Lenin Moreno.

He reminded that when he was president and a few thousand people took to the streets against his administration the protest was broadcast all over the media, however, Tuesday's march was ignored.

Correa has blamed the press for being complicit in widespread manipulation and misinformation, which has fed into criminal accusations against him. In that vein, he pointed out that Moreno is obsessed with destroying him and his supporters and slandering him with suggestions of corruption. He said, ironically, that there are “more accusations about him than Al Capone.”

Correa warned that “popular anger is being expressed and will explode because the country's setbacks are resounding.”

Lula was sentenced to 12 years and one month in prison on corruption charges by Brazil's Fourth Regional Federal Court. The Supreme Court of Justice rejected two habeas corpus appeals submitted by his defense team. Legal experts and observers attribute his case to a salacious media campaign coupled with “lawfare,” where political foes use loopholes in the judicial system to their advantage, neutralizing their opponents.