José Dirceu: "I stand firm as a rock"
Blogger Eduardo Guimarães, from the Blog da Cidadania, was among the 50 friends of the former minister and defendant in Criminal Action 470 who attended yesterday's Supreme Court session in the party room of his apartment in Vila Mariana, São Paulo. The Court decided to postpone until next week the decision on whether appeals for review are admissible, a type of appeal for convicts who obtained at least four favorable votes and which can lead to a new trial; he recounts what he saw.
Zé Dirceu, alongside friends and family, sends a message.
By Eduardo Guimarães, from the Blog da Cidadania
When he heard Joaquim Barbosa say that it is a "privilege" for the defendants in Criminal Action 470 to be judged by the Supreme Federal Court, José Dirceu smiled discreetly. It was one of the few times he lost his concentration while watching the final and decisive session of the Mensalão trial on TV this week.
Tuesday, September 5, 2013, around 14 PM, Vila Mariana neighborhood, southern zone of São Paulo. At the invitation of the former minister, I arrived at the building where he resides to, alongside other friends and all his family members, attend the session of the Mensalão trial in which we believed his fate would be sealed.
The guests waited for Dirceu in the garden or the party room of his building for almost an hour. He was in his apartment having lunch with his whole family. He arrived hugging his friends and smiling kindly, but without exaggeration.
It was noticeable that he was tense.
Dirceu's friends were divided between those who were sulking, tense, and outraged. The latter group, especially due to the press lying in wait outside the building, cameras, recorders, and notepads in hand.
I myself asked a reporter from O Globo and a reporter from Estadão why they were there, and I heard it was because they knew Dirceu's ex-wives were meeting with him. I replied that the whole family was there and wanted to know why a family gathering with friends would be news. The girl from Estadão replied: "It's because we're from the mainstream media."
The reporters insisted on knowing about Dirceu's state of mind. I responded with what he told me and what I observed, which is that he is "firm as a rock." The reporters seemed somewhat disappointed… Anyway, you can read the articles from the media outlets to which I gave the brief interview here and here.
Among the guests at the meeting with Dirceu were personalities such as the writer Fernando Morais, the filmmaker Luiz Carlos Barreto (Barretão), the president of CUT, Wagner Freitas, as well as former comrades in arms during the military dictatorship, such as the journalists Artur Scavone, Rose Nogueira, and many others.
The best way I found to convey to the Blog's readers the feeling of outrage felt by Dirceu's friends and family regarding his probable – but not certain – conviction in a trial surrounded by so many contradictions and suspicions, was to gather testimonies in which this sentiment was evident.
Finally, I explained to Dirceu that my readers have been asking for information about his state of mind, and so he kindly agreed to record an exclusive message for the Blog da Cidadania: "I am firm and serene." Check out below my coverage of the meeting with José Dirceu's friends and family.