Brazil: Lula arrest ordered for April 6 /update 4

Event

A judge has ordered former president - and current presidential candidate - Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (Lula) to report to the federal police headquarters in Curitiba by 17:00 (local time) Friday, April 6, following the April 5 court ruling ordering his imprisonment. This deadline is earlier than expected and could inflame sociopolitical tensions and provoke further street protests. Anti-Lula protests celebrating the decision are also possible.

However, associated pro-Lula protests on April 5 were relatively small; no violence or major disturbances have been reported.

Context

The highly-anticipated Supreme Court ruling ordering Lula’s incarceration was made in the early morning hours of April 5. Lula had been convicted to 12 years in prison in rulings made in July 2017 and January 2018 but had remained free as he exhausted the appeals process.

Lula was president from 2003 to 2011 and, as the country's first working-class ruler, was and remains a popular figure among much of the population. Despite his conviction, which would technically prohibit him from running in the upcoming October 7 presidential elections, he has been nominated by the Workers’ Party (PT) as their presidential candidate. Lula and the PT have characterized his conviction as a political witch-hunt intended to keep him out of office.

Advice

Individuals in Brazil are advised to keep abreast of developments, and the sociopolitical climate more generally, and avoid all protests due to the potential for violence.