Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva has been cleared to run for office again after a judge annulled all convictions against him. Three years ago, Lula, a former union leader who served as president from 2003 to 2010, had been considered a favorite in the lead-up to the 2018 presidential election until he was jailed and forced out of the race on what many said were trumped-up corruption charges. Lula’s jailing helped pave the way for the election of the far-right former military officer Jair Bolsonaro and constitutes “the biggest judicial scandal on Earth,” says Valeska Martins, one of Lula’s lead attorneys. “Lula was wrongfully charged, wrongfully prosecuted,” Martins says.
#DemocracyNow
Democracy Now! is an independent global news hour that airs on nearly 1,400 TV and radio stations Monday through Friday. Watch our livestream 8-9AM ET: https://democracynow.org
Please consider supporting independent media by making a donation to Democracy Now! today: https://democracynow.org/donate
FOLLOW DEMOCRACY NOW! ONLINE:
YouTube: http://youtube.com/democracynow
Facebook: http://facebook.com/democracynow
Twitter: https://twitter.com/democracynow
Instagram: http://instagram.com/democracynow
SoundCloud: http://soundcloud.com/democracynow
iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/podcast/democracy-now!-audio/id73802554
Daily Email Digest: https://democracynow.org/subscribe
