In an exclusive interview with CNN on Friday (10) before his meeting with President Joe Biden at the White House, Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva stated that the political divisions in his country were not worse than the political division in the United States.
“There is also a division here, as serious or even more serious than in Brazil – Democrats and Republicans are very divided. Love it or leave it, that’s more or less what’s happening,” he told CNN’s Christiane Amanpour in Washington, adding that Brazil does not have “a culture of hate.”
Both Lula and Biden saw government buildings being invaded after their presidential elections by far-right groups, which represented huge challenges for their respective democracies.
“We could never imagine that in a country that is the symbol of democracy in the world – someone could attempt to invade the Capitol,” he said about the January 6, 2021, Capitol riot in the U.S.
The similarities between the January 8 attacks in Brasília and in the U.S. on January 6, 2021, include the close alignment of former President Jair Bolsonaro with former U.S. President Donald Trump.
Both former leaders were repeatedly criticized during their terms for using racist and misogynistic language. They are also accused of having encouraged and indirectly participated in the invasions of their respective government offices.Will Bolsonaro Be Extradited?
Since December 30, when he left office, Bolsonaro has been spending time in Orlando, Florida.
Amanpour asked Lula if he would seek Biden’s help to extradite Bolsonaro.
“I don’t know, I won’t talk to President Biden about it, that will depend on the courts,” the president replied. “One day he will have to return to Brazil and face all the lawsuits against him.”
Bolsonaro faces “almost 12 lawsuits against him in Brazil, more cases will come,” Lula said, adding that he believes his former rival “will be convicted in some international court for the genocide with Covid (outbreak) because half of the people who died in Brazil during Covid were the responsibility of the federal government,” he concluded.
He also claimed that Bolsonaro could be “punished” by the courts for “genocide against the Yanomami indigenous people” after illegal mining in the protected territory surged during the former governor’s term.
The Supreme Court of Brazil ordered an investigation to determine whether Bolsonaro’s government actions amount to “genocide” of the Yanomami – who have seen diseases and malnutrition devastate their community over the past four years.
Bolsonaro had previously called this accusation a “leftist farce” on his official Telegram channels.
Source: CNN