It’s chilling what’s starting to come to light about the 580 days Lula spent imprisoned in Curitiba.
Federal Police agent Jorge Chastalo Filho, responsible for monitoring Lula during his imprisonment, revealed in his book *Banho de Sol* that, during a helicopter transport in 2018, crew members from other aircraft invaded the radio frequency to demand that they throw Lula out the window.
They also shouted for him to never be released again.
The situation was so absurd that the helicopter commander had to intervene and demand respect. The air traffic controller even warned that all communications were being recorded.
The book also reveals that the agent himself feared someone might poison Lula’s food.
But one passage hit me in a way I didn’t expect.
During his imprisonment, Lula asked for a ball to play with his 7-year-old grandson Arthur. The boy would visit his grandfather, and the two would spend moments drawing and playing together.
Arthur died in March 2019, while his grandfather was still behind bars. Lula was granted permission to leave prison and say goodbye to his grandson.
I confess that I started crying just reading that passage in the book’s synopsis.
Maybe because, behind all that political infighting, the headlines, the trials, and the hatred, there was a grandfather who just wanted to play with his little grandson. And who had to face the pain of losing him while locked up.
We’re talking about a period when political hatred had crossed any boundary of civility. The desire to eliminate the opponent was already being treated with a frightening casualness.
In 2021, the STF annulled Lula’s convictions. In 2022, he returned to the Presidency. In 2026, he was reelected by the Brazilian people.
It’s worth getting to know this story. Especially so we don’t forget how far political hatred was able to go in Brazil.
Source: UOL | Book *Banho de Sol* by Jorge Chastalo Filho. (Via O Journaleirobr)
