Justice for Lula

The Supreme Court of Brazil ruled this week that Lula, the former President, had been unfairly tried by a politically biased judge, thus clearing the way for him to stand against Bolsonaro in next year’s presidential elections.

This had been ordered as an interim measure by the UNHRC in 2018, but Brazil refused to comply. Lula is recognised, even by his enemies, as having lifted 20 million people out of poverty by innovative programmes during his previous presidency and he promises (unlike Bolsonaro) to take coronavirus seriously – Brazil has thus far suffered 300,000 deaths – and to stop the deforestation of the Amazon.

Geoffrey Robertson QC has been acting for Lula and presenting the argument that his judge (who was in effect his prosecutor) was irredeemably biased.