Lula left the prison for hours to attend the funeral of her seven-year-old grandson

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is serving a sentence for corruption, left the prison yesterday to attend the funeral of his seven-year-old grandson, an opportunity he took advantage of to reiterate his innocence before the courts. political and family leaders.

Lula, who is serving a twelve-year prison sentence for corruption and money laundering, left the Curitiba prison, capital of the state of Paraná, at 7 am. He then flew to Sao Paulo and from there, he went by helicopter to Sao Bernardo do Campo, where the funeral took place.

He will return to prison in the next few hours.

A note posted on his website indicated that the former president had spoken at the funeral.

"Former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva said at the funeral of his grandson that when he will be in paradise, he will take proof of his innocence to make up for all the harbadment that Arthur has suffered in the past." School to have his grandfather in jail, "reads in the note. Da Silva added that he would show that the prosecutor and the judge who sent him to prison lied.

"Lula was very sad, with a lot of pain, destroyed inside, like every human being who has to bury a tragically dead child," said Joao Pedro Stédile, coordinator of the Landless Rural Workers Movement, The Associated. Press on. "But on the political level, it's impressive … he told us:" Stay strong, I'm going out, I'm innocent. "

Lula's grandson, Arthur Lula da Silva, died of meningitis on Friday. Arthur was the son of Sandro Luis Lula da Silva, one of the sons of the former president.

This is the first time Lula has been released from prison since his incarceration last April.

Dilma

Workers' Party leaders, including former President Dilma Rousseff, offered their condolences, while about 200 supporters gathered in front of the cemetery with the cry of "Free Lula!"

Others have argued that it was a mistake to allow the former president to attend the funeral. "Lula is just a prisoner and should be in a common prison When relatives of other prisoners die, will the federal police escort them to the burial?", Tweeted Eduardo Bolsonaro, son of President Jair Bolsonaro. "It's absurd to contemplate it, it only allows it to pretend to be somebody ashamed."

Later, he deleted the tweet.

In January, Lula was not allowed to leave the prison to attend his brother's funeral, despite Brazilian law allowing inmates to leave the funeral facilities of their close relatives.

The imprisonment of Lula has divided the country. Some think that justice has been done in the case of a corrupt politician, but others claim that he is a victim of persecution by the Brazilian elite and a partisan justice system .

Lula was president from 2003 to 2010 and was preparing to run for presidential elections last October, but was banned because of his conviction.

The Workers Party, to which he belongs, claims that he is a political prisoner.