Jailed for protesting Obama’s visit

March 21, 2011

Opinião Socialista, the newspaper of the United Socialist Workers Party of Brazil (PSTU, by its initials in Portuguese), reports on the arrest of 13 activists at a demonstration against Barack Obama during his visit to the country.

PROMOTED WORLDWIDE as an event to celebrate democracy and respect for diversity and political differences, the arrival of Barack Obama in Brazil was marked by the illegal (and politically motivated) arrest of 13 Brazilian citizens who were protesting against the presence of the North American president in the country.

The 13 people were arrested during a peaceful rally that was being held in Rio de Janeiro on March 19--Obama visited Rio the following day. The protest, which had around 400 hundred participants (including children) was organized by a national trade union and popular organization CSP-Conlutas, the Free National Assembly of Students (ANEL) and a number of labor unions. It was also supported by the United Socialist Workers Party, a national left-wing party known as the PSTU.

As it was publicly announced in the local media, the protest (and many others which were happening around the country) was called to denounce Obama's visit as part of a process of surrendering our national resources, mainly oil, through so-called "free trade" agreements that can only damage the Brazilian population.

Barack Obama and his family meet with Brazil's President Dilm a Rousseff (center) and another member of her government
Barack Obama and his family meet with Brazil's President Dilm a Rousseff (center) and another member of her government (Pete Souza | White House)

As can be clearly seen in the images reproduced in a press release from the PSTU (to which 10 of the political prisoners are affiliated), the participants of the rally were just expressing their thoughts and political perspectives when they were brutally assaulted by the police forces commanded by the state governor Sérgio Cabral.

After tear gassing the crowd, beating dozens and arresting 13 people, the police alleged that the repression was "justified" because a Molotv cocktail had been thrown in front of the U.S. consulate. Even recognizing that a homemade artifact was launched against the building, the organizers assured that none of those arrested was involved in the event, which many of the participants attributed to a provocateur.

As Cyro Garcia, president of PSTU in Rio de Janeiro, pointed out:

What is happening at the moment is shameful. This is a political arrest. These are political prisoners of [Rio Governor] Sergio Cabral and [Brazilian President] Dilma Rousseff's governments. The police forces know that those arrested are innocent. There are people in jail just because they raised a shoe against the U.S. flag. This is absurd. They are turning the protests of a political party into a crime. It's outrageous that the police show photographs of political banners and party flags as proof of a crime, as if they were weapons.

Civil rights attacked under Obama's shadow

INTENSIVELY PROMOTED as the meeting of the the first woman and the first African American to lead their respective countries, the summit involving Dilma Rousseff and Barack Obama, even before starting, has already showed the true face of both leaders (nothing very different from the "old ones").

To defend the economic and political interests of the U.S., Obama intends to subjugate the Third World to its wishes. And unfortunately, to please the North American boss, Dilma's government has no limits--even if it means arresting and repressing Brazilian citizens.

Free the 13! The workers and students (including a 17-year-old boy) are facing many charges, and are not entitled to bail. After spending the night in city jails, they were taken to state prison (the infamous Bangu e Água Santa facilities).

Given the false accusations and very serious legal consequences which the arrest can have for the prisoners, PSTU decided to launch an international campaign to free the 13 political prisoners. As Garcia, the president of the party, also reminds us, "We are concerned about the safety of our militants. The governor is responsible for their integrity, and we will not rest until every single one of them is out of prison and free of all charges."

Those arrested include:

Andriev Martins Santos, student at the Fluminense Federal University
-- Gabriela Proença da Costa, student of Fine Arte at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and leader of the local Student's Association.
-- Gilberto Silva, electrician
-- Gualberto Tinoco "Pitéu", public service worker and leader of the state trade union for teachers in the public sector
-- João Paulo, high school student at the Colégio Pedro II
-- José Eduardo Braunschweiger, lawyer
-- Maria de Lurdes Pereira da Silva, maid
-- Pâmela Rossi, teacher
-- Rafael Rossi, teacher and leader of the state trade union of the sector
-- Thiago Loureiro, law school student at the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, employee of the trade union of justice system workers
-- Vagner Vasconcelos, Brazilian MV Moviment
-- Yuri Proença da Costa, postal worker

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