Lawfare, my pain, our resistance

The decision by the TRF-2 (Regional Federal Court of the 2nd Region) rejecting the Union's claim to force me to reimburse amounts related to the extradition process from Italy is more than a personal relief. It represents the recognition that I was the target of a judicialized mechanism of political persecution that aims, above all, to destroy reputations and silence voices. This practice, known as lawfare, does not only punish. It corrodes, annihilates, and impoverishes the capacity for defense of those subjected to it.

I vividly remember the first hearing in Bologna. Present were the Attorney General of the Union at the time, Luís Inácio Adams, and several prosecutors from the Federal Public Prosecutor's Office. They had no legal standing to participate in the hearing, but they insisted on being there. They wanted to be in the photo, give interviews, and fuel a media spectacle. Meanwhile, expenses were being registered in my name: business class trips to Paris, Brussels, and Vienna—cities that had nothing to do with the case. Tickets, per diems, and accommodations were charged as if they were part of the cost of my extradition.

The then Minister of Justice, José Eduardo Cardoso, allowed Attorney General Rodrigo Janot to dictate the handling of the case, and endorsed decisions that are now proving problematic. For the first time, the Brazilian state hired a foreign firm to represent the country in an extradition process, Gentiloni, linked to the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. This was an expensive and opaque contract, lacking clear details of the services provided.

Something that still causes me pain to this day was signing a document that indicated my destination in Brazil would be a maximum-security federal penitentiary. These establishments are intended for highly dangerous criminals. Placing a political prisoner, someone whose trajectory was one of union and political struggle, in a regime designed for the worst criminals reveals the symbolic and punitive nature of state action.

Even in the face of this situation, we never harbored personal hatred or a desire for revenge. To our Italian friends who asked us why a progressive government had adopted such harsh measures against one of its members, we replied that our cause is broader. The fight for social justice is not to be confused with unconditional loyalty to governments or political parties. When comrades betray elementary principles, this does not authorize us to renounce the values ​​that have always guided us.

I want to add, with absolute conviction, that this resistance is not limited to the extradition episode. The continuation of our struggle has a greater target: the great injustice represented by Criminal Action 470, the so-called mensalão (monthly allowance scandal). It was there that doors were opened to a cycle of punishments and legal excesses that still reverberate in the political and judicial life of the country. The injustice I suffered and still suffer in that process needs to be repaired. It is a debt that history will have to settle.

I express my deepest gratitude to lawyer Tânia Mandarino, who worked diligently and pro bono, and to expert Luiz Carlos E. Silva, who, also without charging, dismantled the web of unjustified expenses levied against me. To my colleagues who remained steadfast by our side, my eternal recognition and gratitude.

This decision does not erase the suffering, but it represents a milestone. It confirms that there was an abuse of law with persecutory intent. It is a victory against lawfare and proof that resistance is worthwhile. We will continue the fight because the cause is greater than any persecution.