Attempts continue to stop the popular former president Lula da Silva from standing in Brazil’s presidential election in October (Report, 5 April). Polls show he would be the likely winner, yet since the removal of President Dilma Rousseff, Lula has been subjected to a concerted campaign against him, where his basic human rights have been breached. As part of this, Lula has been subjected to a political prosecution and conviction, ignoring evidence of his innocence, and triggering a crisis of confidence in the rule of law. This is not just about one man but the future of democracy in Brazil. We believe he should be allowed to stand and the Brazilian people allowed to decide their own future.

Chris Williamson MP

Dennis Skinner MP

Clive Lewis MP

Mike Hill MP

Jean Corston House of Lords

David Lea House of Lords

Tim Roache GMB general secretary

Kevin Courtney Joint general secretary, National Education Union

Zita Holbourne PCS and Black Activists Rising Against the Cuts

Dr Mehmet Ali Dikerdem School of law, department of law and politics, Middlesex University

Dr Michael Derham Northumbria University

Professor Julia Buxton Central European University, Budapest

Emeritus Professor Frank Land LSE

Salma Yaqoob Human rights activist

Tim Potter Barrister

Colin Burgon Honorary president, Labour Friends of Progressive Latin America

• The imprisonment of ex-president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva would be a wake-up call for the Brazilian left. In Lula of Brazil: The Story so Far, I recorded his considerable achievements, up to the end of his first term in office. These included his role in the overthrow of the military dictatorship, his success in moves towards social equality, particularly through payments to poorer families, and his promotion of Brazil on the global scene.

But the Brazilian left cannot rely on one man, whom the justice system has found to have flaws. With elections this year, Lula’s Workers’ party must regain the idealism at its foundation, fight corruption at all levels, and devise a strategy which deals with the economic, social and environmental challenges of the country. President Temer, and many Congress deputies, are facing much more serious allegations of corruption than those that brought down Lula.

The models that worked for the left in the early years of this century are inadequate now. The threat of a return to a reactionary past is very pressing. Witness the popularity of the rightwing Jair Bolsonaro, an admirer of the military regime, in the run-up to this year’s presidential elections. The anger and disappointment at the judges’ ruling must be converted into a positive desire to clean up the political system, end the recession and take Brazil forward again.

Richard Bourne

London

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