President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva commented this Friday (12), in São Paulo, on the North American government’s decision to remove Federal Supreme Court (STF) minister Alexandre de Moraes and his wife, Viviane, from the list of those sanctioned by the Magnitsky Law. For Lula, the application of the law was unfair and the decision by the President of the United States, Donald Trump, to lift the sanctions on the Supreme Court minister “is good for Brazil and for Brazilian democracy”.
“Silvio Santos would be 95 years old [hoje] and Alexandre de Moraes turns 57 tomorrow. And I convey to him as a gift the recognition that it was not fair for a president of another country to punish the minister of the Brazilian Supreme Court just because he was complying with the Brazilian Constitution”, said Lula during an event in SBTin the capital of São Paulo.
“And I was very happy with the fact and this recognition, but there are still more people missing [para serem retiradas da aplicação da lei] because it is not possible to admit that a president of one country can punish authorities from another country who are exercising democracy with his laws. Therefore, your victory [Alexandre de Moraes] It is the victory of Brazilian democracy”, added the president.
The Magnitsky Act is applied by the US government as sanctions against foreigners. Minister Alexandre de Moraes was included in the list of those punished in July this year.
Earlier, Alexandre de Moraes also commented on the North American decision. “The truth prevailed. And we can say with satisfaction and humility, that it was a triple victory. Firstly, the victory of the Brazilian Judiciary, which did not bend to threats, coercion and will not bend and continued with impartiality, seriousness and courage. It is also the victory of national sovereignty. President Lula, from the first moment, said that the country would not allow any invasion of Brazilian sovereignty. And more than all that, it was the victory of democracy”, said Moraes.
Lula participated this Friday in the channel’s inauguration ceremony SBT Newswhich premieres next Monday (15). The inauguration ceremony took place on the same day that the founder of the SBTformer presenter Silvio Santos, who died last year, would have turned 95 years old.
During the event, the president also spoke about the importance of a free press for Brazilian democracy.
“A journalist does not exist to judge. Whoever judges is a judge. The journalist exists to inform and inform based on the truth. It hurts whoever it hurts. And I say this with great authority, because I turned 80 on October 27th, surviving for the third term and I have never called a journalist, a television owner or a newspaper owner to ask them not to publish such an article against the government. The press is only useful if it is free. If it is partisan or ideologized, it it does not fulfill its role of informing society well”, he stated.
Also present at the event were First Lady Janja Lula da Silva; the Vice President of the Republic, Geraldo Alckmin; ministers Fernando Haddad (Finance); Sidônio Pereira (Social Communication); Frederico Siqueira (Communications) and Ricardo Lewandowski (Justice and Public Security); the ministers of the Federal Supreme Court Gilmar Mendes and Alexandre de Moraes; the governor of São Paulo, Tarcísio de Freitas; the mayor of São Paulo, Ricardo Nunes; and the president of Brazilian Communication Company (EBC)André Basbaum.
