International
Lula da Silva: Bolsonaro “will know that in this country the law is for everyone”
Former President Jair Bolsonaro “must prove his innocence” and, if he committed a crime, “he will know that in this country the law is for everyone,” said the president of Brazil, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, on Thursday in statements to a local radio station in Rio de Janeiro.
“They will have the right to defend themselves and say it’s a lie. But if it is proven (the complaint filed by the Prosecutor’s Office) there is no other final solution than the condemnation,” he said in his interview on Rádio Tupi FM.
Lula repeated that “he is not going to speak for Justice,” although he described the complaint filed this Tuesday by the Prosecutor’s Office against the far-right leader and 33 other people as a “serious” act.
“The Workers’ Party was persecuted for almost 50 years without having done even 10% of what the team of the former president (Jair Bolsonaro) tried to do in this country,” said the progressive president.
Lula said he finds it “funny” that the accused for the attempted coup d’état of January 8, 2023, when thousands of extreme right-wing radicals violently invaded the headquarters of the Presidency, the Supreme Court and the Parliament, appeal for an amnesty.
“What I find funny is that those people are condemning themselves asking for amnesty before being tried. The first thing they have to do is defend their innocence. They are saying that they are guilty asking for amnesty before being tried, and with that they deserve to be condemned,” he said.
“When the former president (Jair Bolsonaro) spends his time asking for amnesty, he is proving that he is guilty, he is proving that he committed a crime,” he said in the face of the efforts of conservative allies to present an amnesty project in the National Congress, which have become stronger after the complaint.
For the invasion of January 8, the Supreme Court has already convicted about 400 people for crimes similar to those that the former president may face.
In his first speech this Wednesday after the complaint, Lula had opted for a more moderate tone towards Bolsonaro, although in the same line.
In a press conference with the Prime Minister of Portugal, Luis Montenegro, the president of Brazil commented that “if they prove that they did not try to strike a coup and that they did not try to kill the president, the vice president and a judge of the Supreme Court,” as the complaint says, “they will be free and will be able to travel throughout the country.”
Even so, he stressed that “if the judges came to the conclusion that they are guilty, they will have to pay for the mistakes they made.”
Bolsonaro is one step away from sitting on the bench for five crimes, including “attempt to violent abolition of the Democratic Rule of Law”, “coup d’état” and “armed organization to commit crimes,” for which he can receive a 40-year prison sentence.
The defenses of the far-right leader and the other 33 accused of participating in the coup attempt now have a period of two weeks to present allegations.
International
Erin brings strong winds and storm surge despite weakening offshore
Hurricane Erin weakened to a Category 2 storm on Tuesday but continues to pose a threat to parts of the U.S. East Coast with potentially dangerous flooding, according to meteorologists.
Although the hurricane’s eye is expected to remain offshore, experts are concerned about Erin’s size, as strong winds extend hundreds of kilometers beyond the storm’s center.
In its 18:00 GMT bulletin, the U.S. National Hurricane Center (NHC) lifted tropical storm warnings for the Bahamasand Turks and Caicos Islands, but kept them in effect for parts of North Carolina.
Erin was located several hundred kilometers southeast of North Carolina and was moving northwestward.
“This means there is a risk of potentially life-threatening flooding of 60 to 120 centimeters above ground level,” said NHC Director Michael Brennan.
He also warned of the possibility of destructive waves, combined with storm surge, that could cause severe damage to beaches and coastal areas, making roads impassable.
International
Three U.S. Warships deploy near Venezuela to combat drug trafficking
Three U.S. naval vessels are moving toward the coasts of Venezuela, according to international media reports on Tuesday, after White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt confirmed that President Donald Trump is ready to combat and curb international drug trafficking.
Reports indicate that the ships will reach Venezuelan waters within the next 36 hours as part of a recent U.S. deployment aimed at countering international narcotics operations.
The announcement coincides with Leavitt’s statement that Trump is prepared to “use the full extent of his power” to halt drug flows into the United States. The naval deployment involves approximately 4,000 military personnel.
“The President has been clear and consistent. He is ready to use every element of U.S. power to prevent drugs from flooding our country and to bring those responsible to justice. The Maduro regime is not the legitimate government of Venezuela—it is a narco-terror cartel,” the spokesperson said during a press conference.
International
Cuban authorities free salvadoran convicted in 1997 hotel bombing
Salvadoran national Otto René Rodríguez Llerena was released after serving a 30-year prison sentence for his involvement in a terrorist attack at a hotel in Cuba in 1997, the Cuban Ministry of Foreign Affairs reported.
During his trial, Rodríguez Llerena admitted to placing an explosive device at the Meliá Cohiba Hotel under the orders of anti-Castro exile leaders. He was arrested the following year when he returned to Havana with another load of explosives that failed to detonate.
“The Cuban government reiterates its commitment to combating terrorism, respecting human rights, and the need for the international community to hold accountable those who promote such acts,” the statement read.
He was released on August 15 and is the second Salvadoran to complete his sentence. In December of last year, another Salvadoran, Ernesto Cruz León, was released after planting bombs at tourist centers, one of which killed an Italian tourist identified as Fabio Di Celmo.
A third Salvadoran, Francisco Chávez Abarca, also received a 30-year sentence from Cuban courts in 2010 after being extradited from Venezuela through Interpol for actions against Cuba.
Rodríguez Llerena had requested conditional release in 2016, arguing that his actions had not caused any direct fatalities, but no further information was released about his situation until now.
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