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In a push for democracy and to spring Brazil's former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from prison, a two-day conference is being held to unite supporters, the Workers' Party said Friday.
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The two-day Lula Libre ('Free Lula') conference, taking place in Sao Paulo on Friday and Saturday, aims to unite supporters, strategize a way to free the imprisoned former president, and overthrow the ongoing 'media siege.'
Four round tables will be conducted to discuss the proper response to ongoing coverage on broadcast networks, newspapers, and social media.
In an interview with El Pais, Brazilian Communist Party official Gerardo Nuñez urged foreign legislators to travel to Brazil in support: "Lula is a political prisoner who is condemned without evidence," he said.
Among those attending are specialists from Argentina, Uruguay, Venezuela and Spain. Journalists from some of Brazil's most progressive publications are also taking part in the international panel discussions.
National Secretary of Communication with the Workers' Party, Carlos Arabe, said in a statement that the meeting comes at a very important time in the fight for democracy.
He said the meeting is essential to "fundamental strengthening of a plural and progressive communication which guarantees the circulation of accurate news," allowing the group to overcome the "commercial coup media" the party says is partly responsible for Lula's incarceration.
"There is a commitment to fight and generate a schedule of demonstrations to defend democracy in Brazil and, obviously, the innocence of Lula both in Montevideo and inside our country," Nuñez said, adding that Lula's imprisonment is part of an institutional breakdown.
Lula remains in Curitiba, Parana, since his imprisonment last week after being convicted of corruption by Judge Sergio Moro. Many legal experts and observers say he's the victim of lawfare and a calculated media persecution campaign.
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