Spanish
São Paulo, July 3 (EFE).- Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva encouraged former Argentine President Cristina Fernández de Kirchner to continue "her fight for justice" with "the same firmness", after visiting her at her residence in Buenos Aires, where she is under house arrest.
"I was very happy to see her again and find her so well, so strong and eager to fight. My friendship with Cristina goes back a long way and goes far beyond the institutional relationship," said the Brazilian head of state on his social media.
The progressive leader, visiting Buenos Aires after participating in the Mercosur's semi-annual summit, in which he took the leadership of the bloc from the Argentine president, Javier Milei, expressed his solidarity with Fernández "for everything he has experienced".
"I wished him all the strength to continue fighting with the same determination that has characterized his life and political career," he indicated in the message, which he accompanied with a photograph in which they both appear smiling in a room full of books and memories.
Lula assured he had felt in the streets "the popular support" for his political ally, with whom he shares -he said- "ideals of social justice and the fight against inequality", and declared he was aware of "how important this recognition is in the most difficult moments".
"May you be well and continue your fight for justice," he concluded.
In a gesture of enormous political symbolism, Lula managed to visit Fernández, 72 years old, after obtaining judicial authorization.
The former Argentine president has been under house arrest since last June 17, after the Justice confirmed a six-year prison sentence in the context of a corruption case.
Fernández was convicted in a case of irregularities in the awarding of road works between 2003 and 2015, during the administration of her deceased husband, Néstor Kirchner, and her two subsequent terms.
Lula was in prison for 580 days in Brazil for a corruption trial that was later annulled by the Supreme Court, at which point he regained his freedom and his political rights, which allowed him to win the 2022 presidential elections.
After the visit to Fernández, the progressive leader met with the Argentine Nobel Peace Prize winner, Adolfo Pérez Esquivel, with whom he discussed "the challenges facing defenders of democracy in these turbulent times" on the international stage, "with the advance of the extreme right."
As Lula highlighted on his social media, Pérez Esquivel in turn commented on "the struggles in Argentina and the defense of comrade" Fernández. During the meeting, Lula posed with a sign that read "Cristina, Libre", as shown in a photograph shared by the Nobel Peace Prize winner.
