00:00And the now disgraced operation car wash may be over, but the tactics taught to
00:04prosecutors and judges through an illegal partnership with the U.S.
00:07Department of Justice are still being used to try to destroy progressive
00:11governments. In Brazil, a correspondent brand new has more. Six months after
00:18taking control of Pesquera Pernambuco, the Xucuru indigenous leaders running a
00:22local government are complaining that political enemies are applying similar
00:26lawfare tactics to those imported from the United States during the criminal
00:29persecution of Lula da Silva to sabotage their administration.
00:35Once again the criminalization of the Xucuru people is intensifying. This
00:40becomes especially clear when comparing similar legal actions here in
00:45Pernambuco and across the country. The patterns in how these cases unfold and how
00:50they're portrayed in the media reveal striking parallels. The process seems
00:54standardized, echoing tactics seen in larger scale operations. It reminds me
00:59of strategies used in operation car wash under Sergio Moro. Chief Marcos was first elected
01:05mayor in 2020, but enemies resuscitated a 20-year-old conviction for property damage
01:10during a protest to bar him from office. Months later the courts admitted judicial
01:15error and annulled his conviction, enabling him to run in 2024. But since taking
01:21office, conservative enemies have filed arbitrary charges for accounting errors that
01:25occurred during the previous government, forcing him to temporarily step down for
01:29the month of April during a frivolous investigation.
01:32Stepping down for a month was legally unusual. We believe it was unnecessary, but we
01:39respected that decision and we have complied with all the court orders. I believe that if
01:45these procedures are carried out normally, we'll not only be able to run this government, according to the goals set by Mayor
01:52Marcus and his team and their plan for the city, but he will prove his innocence once again.
01:58This isn't the only instance in which U.S. DOJ tactics taught to the Operation Car Wash Task Force have been used to damage
02:06political enemies at the local level. In 2019, 23 frivolous corruption charges were filed against former Paraíba governor
02:14Ricardo Cochino. It took him three years to prove his innocence, but that damage to his image led to his losing an election.
02:21Mayor Marcos, however, remains optimistic.
02:25In the heart of the 21st century, we are achieving many victories. We have taken on a great level of
02:36protagonism in this state and this nation. Unfortunately, the state and some people still don't understand the importance of this.
02:46With Mayor Marcos back in office for over a month, the Shukuru government has overcome its first hurdle,
02:52but the five-hundred-year fight for autonomy continues. Brian Muir, Telesur, Pescara, Pernambuco.
02:59Yet, finally, since 19th century.
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