Protesters demanded the former president's release and spoke out against the current right-wing government. Lula has insisted that his imprisonment was "unjust" and designed to keep him from returning to office.
Image: picture-alliance/AP/D. Ferreira Netto
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Several thousand people gathered Sunday outside the prison where former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva is being held to protest for his release.
The protest took place in Curitiba on the anniversary of the former leader's conviction and imprisonment. Demonstrators began the rally at a bus station two kilometers (1.2 miles) before making their way to the prison, which is in the same building as the headquarters of the Federal Police.
Protesters chanted "Free Lula!" and also denounced the current right-wing government of President Jair Bolsonaro.
Organizers said some 10,000 people attended the protest. Military police however put the figure at 3,000 to 5,000. Similar rallies were held in other cities, including Sao Paulo and Belo Horizonte.
Corruption, bribery or power abuse: DW takes a look back at some prominent world leaders who have been convicted in the past five years.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, Brazil
Lula has been found guilty of corruption and money laundering for his involvement in the "Car Wash" scandal, an extensive corruption probe that uncovered widespread bribery among Brazil's elites. Lula, who held the presidential office between 2003 and 2010, was sentenced to 12 years in jail. He still has a chance to appeal the ruling.
Image: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
Cristina Fernandez, Argentina
Cristina Fernandez, who served as Argentina's first lady and then as its president from 2007 to 2015, was indicted on corruption charges in 2016. She was accused of granting public construction contracts to favored companies. She denies any wrongdoing. Fernandez is now seeking a political comeback, which some observers say is a bid to seek immunity against the charges.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/L. La Valle
Park Geun-hye, South Korea
Following months of public outcry over a wave of corruption allegations, South Korea's first female president Park Geun-hye was removed from office. She has been charged with extortion, bribery and abuse of power. Park was impeached in December 2016.
Image: Getty Images/A.Young-Joon
Ehud Olmert, Israel
The 71-year-old Olmert, who was premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of corruption in 2014. He entered prison in February 2016 but was was released in early July 2017 after his sentence was shortened. He was the first former prime minister of Israel to go to prison. Benjamin Netanyahu was his successor.
Image: Reuters/O. Zwigenberg
Adrian Nastase, Romania
Adrian Nastase was convicted of corruption charges in 2012 and sentenced to a two-year imprisonment term. At the time when the sentence was pronounced, he was the only head of government sentenced to prison in the 23 years following the Romanian Revolution. He was Romania's prime minister from 2004-2006.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/
Charles G. Taylor, Liberia
Charles G. Taylor was sentenced to 50 years in prison in 2012 for his role in atrocities committed in Sierra Leone during its civil war in the 1990s. Taylor was the first former head of state convicted by an international tribunal since the Nuremberg trials in Germany after World War II. He was Liberia's president from 1997-2003.
Image: Getty Images/AFP/K. van Weel
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Lula's case is 'groundless'
Fernando Haddad, a former presidential candidate who belongs to Lula's left-wing Workers Party, spoke out against Lula's sentencing.
"The case against him is groundless, in our view. So we will continue to demonstrate and fight for his rights," he said.
In a letter read out by Workers' Party President Gleisi Hoffmann, Lula said his imprisonment was "unjust" and designed to keep him from returning to the presidency.
"They never presented a shred of evidence against me. I am a political prisoner, in exile inside my own country," Lula said.
Long prison sentence
The former president, who governed from 2003 to 2010, was convicted of corruption and money laundering for his role the massive "Lava Jato" (car wash) corruption scandal that has rocked Brazil and implicated politicians in more than 10 other Latin American countries.
Martin Schulz visits Lula
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Prosecutors say Lula accepted a beachfront apartment from construction giant Odebrecht in exchange for a lucrative contract with state-owned oil company Petrobras.
Lula is currently serving a 12-year sentence. If additional charges against him are confirmed, he could spend a further 12 years in prison.
