With six votes to five, the Supreme Court decided to deny the habeas corpus plea filed by Lula´s defense attorneys who sought to prevent judge Sergio Moro from ruling the former president should go to jail.

Fernando Campos, member of Friends of the Earth Brazil, said that the ruling “is part of the advance of neoliberalism in Brazil and the situation in the region”.

In an interview with Real World Radio, Campos explained what happened in the context of the violent strategy of corporate power “to impose its economic interests”. “By ruling against the Brazilian left-wing, they are ruling against the idea of a more just and democratic State”, he added, and urged to condemn the violence exerted for years against the poorest classes of Brazil. “What concerns us the most is the advance of the army (…), military intervention as a way to ensure “order and progress””.

Both Campos and Nansen highlighted the importance of the struggles in the streets in order to defend democracy against the setbacks in terms of human rights, in addition to remembering the strength and validity of the agreements reached during the Intercontinental Day celebrated by the end of 2017.

Meanwhile, Karin Nansen considered that what is happening in Brazil is “an attempt against the Latin American people, which is reinforcing terrible situations such as those in Honduras, Paraguay and other countries suffering persecution and attacks against democracy”.

Friends of the Earth International “considers it fundamental to denounce this situation (involving the dominant classes, the Latin American right-wing, and certain external and multinational powers) and strengthen solidarity among the peoples, with social organizations, feminist movements, peasant communities”, said Nansen.

In addition, the activist warned that the ones persecuted are especially those who defend the environment, those who oppose the commodification of nature and the occupation of territories, particularly women.