Brazil's president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, has defended the trial which saw his predecessor in office, Jair Bolsonaro, sentenced to more than 27 years in prison for plotting a coup.
In an opinion piece published in the New York Times, Lula dismissed the description by US President Donald Trump of the trial as a witch hunt, saying that it was a historic decision which safeguards our institutions and the democratic rule of law.
The Brazilian leader stated that he wrote the essay to establish an open dialogue with Trump, who has recently imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports. Lula termed the tariff hikes not only misguided but illogical.
Relations have been tense between the US and Brazil recently, contrasting sharply with the more amicable relations during Bolsonaro's presidency, who had often admired and supported Trump's policies.
In his editorial, Lula emphasized that the US had accrued a $410 billion surplus in trade with Brazil over the past 15 years, indicating that the tariffs are politically motivated. He also referred to the sanctions placed by the US on a Supreme Court justice involved in Bolsonaro's trial.
The trial concluded on Thursday, with four out of five Supreme Court justices finding Bolsonaro guilty of all five charges against him, leading to his sentence of 27 years and 3 months in prison—though his lawyers have announced plans to appeal.
Trump described the verdict as very surprising, while US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated a potential US response to what he termed a witch hunt.
Lula insisted in his New York Times article that the trial followed Brazil's constitutional guidelines established after its military dictatorship ended in 1985 and countered Trump’s claims that Brazil's justice system had targeted US tech firms.
He concluded the piece by reminding Trump that while Brazil is open to negotiations that promise mutual benefits, its democracy and sovereignty cannot be compromised.
