This kind of partisan half-truth is what allows totalitarian governments to be successful.
"Lula trial in Brazil violated due process, says UN rights panel" [0][1]
He was unlawfully investigated and judged by Sérgio Moro, who then followed to become Justice Minister [2] in what's at best a clear ethical conflict.
The whole process was ridden with vices and other legal and ethical issues. Secret US involvement [3][4], coordination between judge and prosecution [5][6] and many others.
> The "unlawfulness" part is simply the supreme court judges finding a ridiculous excuse to allow him to run against a candidate they don't like.
The leaks make it fairly clear that the whole process was politically motivated to eliminate Lula from the race against Bolsonaro [7].
> Please keep in mind that dictators always say they are acting "within the law". In fact they are, because they control the law. This is what's going on here.
It is not. The current President, chief of the executive and the Armed Forces, is the one who's being supposedly hit by these decisions.
> The TV network was forbidden by the State to use specific terms like "ex-convict" and "criminal". It is not under dispute that he is both of these things.
I agree it is not under dispute. You could say "ex-convict" is not wrong but it doesn't tell the whole story. He was unlawfully convicted.
You can absolutely not call him a "criminal". That he is not, or at least it has not been proved within a fair trial that he is. I believe I have provided enough high profile references to this effect.
> The documentary wasn't even about the elections. Besides, how do you know that it was speculative?
There hasn't been a conclusive investigation on the matter. I don't see how it could be anything but speculative, and given the timing they wanted to have it released it's hard to not think it was electoral in nature.
> Whatever your political side is, left or right, I beg you, please don't side with censors.
I do not. Now that elections are over, I fully expect it to be allowed to air and if there are credible accusations they should be investigated. That said, if it does have any substance, why hasn't it been sent to the prosecutorial authorities so that they could start investigative proceures?
The fact that it hasn't also hints at purely electoral motives.
[0] https://news.un.org/en/story/2022/04/1117192
[1] https://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2022/04/brazil-crimi...
[2] https://uk.news.yahoo.com/brazil-anti-graft-judge-accepts-bo...
[3] https://theintercept.com/2020/03/12/united-states-justice-de...
[4] https://progressive.international/wire/2021-02-12-lava-jato-...
[5] https://theintercept.com/2019/06/09/brazil-lula-operation-ca...
[6] https://theintercept.com/series/mensagens-lava-jato/
[7] https://theintercept.com/2019/06/16/vaza-jato-corrupcao-serg...