After a year-and-a-half behind bars, leftist Brazilian former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva has been released from prison. He had been arrested on charges of corruption and money laundering.
Image: Reuters/R. Buhrer
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A Brazilian judge ordered the release of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva from prison on Friday. Lula had been detained since April 2018.
"I didn't think that today I could be here talking to the men and women that during 580 days shouted good morning, good afternoon or goodnight, no matter if it was raining or 40 degrees [Celsius]," he told assembled crowds outside the prison, referring to supporters who waited for him.
The Supreme Court of Brazil ruled less than a day before that a person can be imprisoned only after all the appeals have been exhausted.
The former president, who is usually simply known as Lula, tweeted the words "Lula Free."
The 74-year-old politician is appealing his conviction of corruption and money laundering in relation to the renovation of a beachfront apartment. He had been serving an 8-year prison sentence, after being arrested under a corruption probe referred to as "Car Wash" in Portuguese-language media.
Supporters of Lula Da Silva in BrazilImage: picture-alliance/AP Photo/E. Peres
What comes next for Lula?
Supporters awaited Lula outside the prison in the southern city of Curitiba. Addressing the crowds, he accused the authorities of trying to "criminalize" his actions and his Workers' Party.
His lawyer, Cristiano Zanin, said: "Our judicial battle continues; our focus is to get the legal case nullified."
Lula also announced that he will hold a gathering of supporters at a metal workers union in Sao Paulo on Saturday, before embarking on a national tour. He is among around 5,000 prisoners released on Friday following the Supreme Court ruling.
Lula governed as leader of the leftist Workers' Party from 2003 to 2010. He was and remains a popular figure on the left, with his arrest in 2018 and subsequent withdrawal from the presidential race paving the way for the election of far-right President Jair Bolsonaro.
Lula had already appealed his conviction but it was upheld last year, and he was put behind bars in April 2018. He is known as a working-class hero who is popular for his common touch.
"You are the nourishment of democracy," he told crowds. "The doors of Brazil will be open for me to travel around the country," he added.
It is not yet clear what political role Lula may attempt to occupy now he is free.
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.
