Lula in the New York Times: I want democracy, not impunity.

247 - Censored by all Brazilian conservative media, Lula is featured this Tuesday (14) in the most important newspaper on the planet, the The New York TimesThe newspaper published an article by Lula with the following warning to readers: "Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote this opinion piece from prison." The NYT titled it: "Lula: I want democracy, not impunity" and highlighted: "There is a right-wing coup underway in Brazil, but justice will prevail."

The full text of the article (translated by Gustavo Conde):

Lula: I want democracy, not impunity.

There is a right-wing coup underway in Brazil, but justice will prevail.

By Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Former Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva wrote this opinion piece from prison.

CURITIBA, Brazil - Sixteen years ago, Brazil was in crisis; the future was uncertain. Our dream of being one of the most prosperous and democratic countries in the world seemed threatened. The idea that one day our citizens could enjoy the comfortable living standards of our counterparts in Europe or other Western democracies seemed to be fading. Less than two decades after the end of the dictatorship, some wounds from that period were still open.

The Workers' Party offered hope, an alternative that could change this trend. It was for this reason, I believe, above all, that we triumphed at the polls in 2002. I became the first labor leader to be elected president of Brazil. Initially, the markets were shaken by this development, but the economic growth that followed put them at ease.

In the years that followed, the PT governments managed to reduce poverty by more than half in just eight years. During my two terms in office, the minimum wage increased by 50%. Our Bolsa Família program, which helped poor families while ensuring that children received a quality education, gained international renown. We proved that fighting poverty was a good economic policy.

But this progress was interrupted. Not through the ballot box, although Brazil had free and fair elections at that time, but with the interruption of President Dilma Rousseff's term, who was impeached and removed from office for an action that even her opponents admitted was not punishable. I, too, was sent to prison after a dubious trial on charges of corruption and money laundering.

My imprisonment was the final stage of a slow-motion coup aimed at permanently marginalizing progressive forces in Brazil. The intention is to prevent the Workers' Party from being elected president again.

With all the polls showing that I would easily win the October elections, the Brazilian far-right is trying to take me out of the race. My conviction and imprisonment are based solely on the testimony of someone whose own sentence was reduced in exchange for what he said against me. In other words, it was in his personal interest to tell the authorities what they wanted to hear.

The right-wing forces that seized power in Brazil wasted no time in implementing their agenda. The deeply unpopular administration of President Michel Temer approved a constitutional amendment that set a 20-year limit on public spending and enacted several changes to labor laws that will facilitate outsourcing and weaken workers' bargaining rights, even their right to an eight-hour workday. The Temer government also attempted to cut pensions.

Brazil's conservatives are trying to reverse the progress made by the Workers' Party governments and are determined to prevent us from returning to office in the near future.

His ally in this endeavor is Judge Sérgio Moro and his team of prosecutors, who resorted to recordings and leaks of private telephone conversations I had with my family and my lawyer, including an illegal conversation. They created a fantastical media narrative when they arrested me, accusing me of being the "mastermind" of a vast corruption scheme. These horrifying details are rarely reported in the mainstream media.

Moro was protected by Brazil's right-wing media. He became untouchable. But the real issue isn't Mr. Moro; it's those who elevated him to this untouchable status: right-wing, neoliberal elites who have always opposed our struggle for greater justice and social equality in Brazil.

I don't believe that the majority of Brazilians approved of this elitist agenda. That's why, even though I'm in prison, I'm running for president, especially since polls show that if the elections were held today, I would win. Millions of Brazilians understand that my imprisonment has nothing to do with corruption, and they understand that I am where I am for purely political reasons.

I'm not worried about myself. I've been imprisoned before, under Brazil's military dictatorship, for nothing more than defending workers' rights. That dictatorship fell. The people who are abusing their power today will fall too.

I am not asking to be above the law, but a trial must be fair and impartial. These right-wing forces convicted me, imprisoned me, ignored the overwhelming evidence of my innocence, and denied me habeas corpus just to try to prevent me from running for president.

I ask for respect for democracy. If they truly want to defeat me, let them do it in the elections. According to the Brazilian Constitution, power comes from the people, who elect their representatives. So let the Brazilian people decide. I have faith that justice will prevail, but time is running out for democracy.