Brazil's Lula Visits Fernández de Kirchner Under House Arrest in Argentina
Lula was in Buenos Aires for the summit of the regional Mercosur trade alliance and made the short trip to Fernández's home in Argentina's capital after the meeting concluded. Lula was inside with Fernández for just under an hour, and they did not appear publicly together. It was not Lula's first show of support for Fernández since Argentina's Supreme Court upheld her sentence last month. He had called her to express his support after her conviction. Fernández had been convicted of directing state contracts to a friend while she was first lady and president. The sentence also permanently bans her from holding public office.
Fernández dominated Argentine politics for two decades and forged the country's main left-wing populist movement known as Kirchnerism after her and her husband, former President Néstor Kirchner.
Lula has also faced imprisonment. While he was held in a police station in Curitiba in 2019, also for corruption, he received then-Argentinian presidential candidate Alberto Fernández, a political ally of Cristina Fernández who is not related to her. Lula's conviction was later overturned.
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Arab News
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3 mayors arrested in southern Turkey as part of crackdown on opposition
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Al Arabiya
7 hours ago
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BRICS nations to denounce Trump tariffs for causing economic uncertainty
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