Mrs. Marisa Letícia

September 22, 2016. Federal Police agents carry out yet another arbitrary arrest, among the many in the Lava Jato operation. This is its 23rd phase, called Operation Zelotes, and this time, the setting for the media spectacle is the Albert Einstein Hospital in São Paulo. Former Minister of Planning and Finance in the Lula and Dilma governments, Guido Mantega, who was accompanying his wife for cancer surgery, leaves the hospital escorted by police officers.

Carried out under the spotlight of the coup-supporting press, even with Globo's helicopter covering the event, the arrest ordered by the "vigilante" judge would have a very negative impact, as it was totally unjustified, as several legal experts stated. A few hours later, it would be revoked by Sérgio Moro himself. "The 'Lava Jato' pattern is easy handcuffs," stated Alberto Zacharias Toron, a doctor of criminal law, to Carta Capital magazine at the time. True. First they arrest, then they ask questions, in a modus operandi that would make the Gestapo envious.

They said that Mantega had received funds from corruption and that these had gone into the coffers of the PT (Workers' Party). Proof? Nobody knows, nobody saw any. Just as there was none when he was accused, in 2015, of altering decisions of the Administrative Council of Tax Appeals (CARF). The investigation was concluded a few days ago, without Mantega being indicted. But little was said about this in the press, of course.

We recall this episode, when millions in the country mourn the death of Dona Marisa Letícia, to demonstrate that she is among the many victims of a Nazi-fascist mentality that is spreading in our society, encouraged by sectors of the right wing and the Judiciary. A victim of a stroke, with her condition aggravated by thrombosis, Dona Marisa was placed in an induced coma. While she fought for her life, inhumanity ran rampant on social media and even in demonstrations at the entrance of the Sírio-Libanês Hospital, where she was hospitalized.

Without any shame, those who call themselves upstanding citizens satirized and wished for the death of that woman, wife and mother, whose only crime was being the emotional and moral support of a president who dared to govern for the poor. Ethics? What for? A doctor released confidential data about the patient's health, while another "doctor" prescribed online instructions for her murder: "It has to be broken during the procedure. Then, the pupil dilates. And the devil embraces her." Unbelievable!

Marisa Letícia was slandered, unjustly accused, and morally lynched. And against her, just as against Lula, nothing was proven. They weren't even indicted in the famous investigation of the triplex apartment in Guarujá. But for many, that makes no difference. Nothing was proven in other ridiculous accusations either, such as the purchase of a pedal boat for her grandson or regarding the modest property in Atibaia.

While prominent members of the PSDB party, such as Aécio Neves and José Serra, are frequently mentioned in plea bargains as recipients of millions in bribes without being bothered, the construction company Andrade Gutierrez alone allegedly transferred approximately R$ 40 million to Aécio – nicknamed "Mineirinho" – in a fraud scheme related to the construction of the Administrative City, as reported by the Folha de S. Paulo newspaper on the 2nd of this month.

Dona Marisa was attacked and saw her husband and children persecuted. Even so, she remained firm and discreet. A woman of the people, she knew what resilience was, as Frei Betto narrated in a brilliant article about her life. The daughter of a farmer, she only studied until the seventh grade. She started working as a young girl, as a nanny, and at 13, she became a factory worker. She married a truck driver, who was murdered six months later, leaving her pregnant with their first child. Years later, she married Lula, with whom she had three children. In 1980, her husband was imprisoned by the dictatorship for 31 days.

"Marisa doesn't have Lula's political vocation, but her keen sensitivity acts like a radar that allows her to grasp the core of people and discern the variables of each situation. Therefore, she is able to tell Lula truths that help him not to distance himself from his popular origins nor succumb to the myth that is created around him. Simplicity is perhaps the quality she most admires in people," Betto defined.

After years of struggle and resistance, however, the warrior could not withstand the pressure. She became a star, and justice will no longer be done for her. Yes, Dona Marisa is a victim. A victim of intolerance and prejudice against the working class. Of the criminalization of politics and social movements. Of the loss of rights and disrespect for the Constitution. She is a victim of the coup financed by the elites, who, with the support of sectors of the Judiciary, installed a veritable gang in the government of this country. It is impossible not to add her death to the share of guilt of the corrupt right wing, the sold-out media, and an indifferent Supreme Court.

Our solidarity with Lula and his entire family. May this sad episode serve as a lesson for our institutions, especially the Judiciary, to rethink their role and no longer place themselves at the service of unjust persecutions, such as that suffered by former President Lula. Above all, may it serve as a warning to the Brazilian people about the urgent need to rethink Brazil. How many more Marisas will have to fall?