Lula: I Do Not Want Favors, I Just Want Justice

The former president of Brazil, Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, known as Lula, said Monday that the Lava Jato prosecutor waged a judicial war against him which prevented him from being re-elected as president of the nation, asserting that he is only seeking justice.

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"Today I am sure that I have a lighter dream and a calmer conscience than those who condemned me, I do not want favors, I just want justice, I do not change my dignity for my release," the ex-president stated in an open letter.

The letter was read during the International Conference in Defense of Democracy, an event organized by Lula's Workers' Party (PT). The event was attended by a dozen politicians from different international leftist parties who gathered in Sao Paulo.

Throughout the letter, Lula highlighted the violation of his right to a fair trial and the arbitrary conviction that resulted in his political imprisonment, as the Brazilian Justice Department did not consider the evidence determining his innocence.

He also called attention to the deaths of José Bernardo “Orlando” da Silva and Rodrigo Celestino, from the Landless Workers Movement (MST) who were assassinated last weekend in Paraíba.

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“I ask everyone to pay homage to these heroes of the Brazilian people and to the struggle for human rights,” Lula wrote. “They were victims of the same violent hate speech that reached Marielle and Anderson, Master Moa do Katende and young Charlione Albuquerque, among so many others who were so persecuted and threatened.”

“These heroes will continue alive in our struggle. We will defend our people’s conquests in their names, for the right to life in all its fullness, against intolerance, prejudice and arbitration.”

Currently, Lula is imprisoned in the city of Curitiba, where he is serving 12 years and one month for alleged passive corruption and money laundering during his presidential term from 2003 to 2010.

For eight months, he has been held at the headquarters of the Federal Police of Curitiba, in the southern state of Parana. The founder of the PT always stated his innocence and has pushed back on the attacks against him, condemning them as a farce and political persecution.