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 US President Donald Trump's description of the trial as a witch hunt, stating it was a historic decision which safeguard's our institutions and the democratic rule of law.
The Brazilian leader wrote the essay to promote open dialogue with Trump, who has imposed 50% tariffs on Brazilian imports. Lula referred to the tariff hikes as not only misguided but illogical.
Relations between the US and Brazil have deteriorated under Lula's leadership when compared to the previous Bolsonaro administration, which enjoyed closer ties with Trump. Lula criticized the US's tariffs as reflective of a political agenda rather than economic reasoning.
He contended that the US has benefited from a significant trade surplus with Brazil, amounting to $410 billion over the last 15 years, and called the imposition of tariffs as an abusive use of power meant to protect Bolsonaro from legal accountability.
The Supreme Court’s trial concluded with four out of five justices convicting Bolsonaro on multiple charges. Bolsonaro's lawyers plan to appeal the sentence of 27 years and 3 months.
Reacting to the trial's verdict, Trump expressed surprise, and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio indicated the US would react against what they termed a witch hunt.
Lula emphasized that the judicial decision was in line with Brazil's 1988 Constitution, enacted after a protracted struggle against a military dictatorship. He also countered US claims that Brazil's justice system was unfair toward US tech firms, asserting that Brazil's courts have the right to regulate the internet fairly.
In his conclusion, Lula invited Trump to negotiate matters beneficial to both nations while asserting Brazil's commitment to its democracy and sovereignty.
