Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva

Under his government the Navy let two Iranian warships dock in Rio de Janeiro after the United States asked Brazil not to. He had first put the visit off until after his meeting with President Biden.

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Against liberty

Hosting the regime's warships counts as against liberty.

Opening the BRICS summit in Rio, after the armed conflict between Iran, Israel and the United States, he said his government had denounced the violations of Iran's territorial integrity.

“The Brazilian government denounced the violations of Iran's territorial integrity, as it had already done in the case of Ukraine.”

In Portuguese: O governo brasileiro denunciou as violações à integridade territorial do Irã, como já havia feito no caso da Ucrânia.

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Against liberty

Denouncing military action against the regime as a violation of its territory counts as against liberty.

On the day the United States and Israel struck Iran, his government condemned the strikes and called negotiation the only path to peace.

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Against liberty

Condemning strikes on the regime counts as against liberty.

During the crackdown on protests in Iran, his government abstained at the UN Human Rights Council on the resolution that extended the investigation of human rights violations there.

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Against liberty

Not voting for a human rights resolution on Iran counts as against liberty.

At the same session his government's ambassador condemned Iran's use of lethal force against peaceful protesters, the first time Brazil had used such words about the crackdown.

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With liberty

Speaking for Iranian protesters against their rulers counts as with liberty.

Speaking to reporters in Addis Ababa, he compared Israel's war in Gaza to Hitler's killing of the Jews.

“What is happening in the Gaza Strip to the Palestinian people has not existed at any other moment in history. In fact, it has: when Hitler decided to kill the Jews”

In Portuguese: O que está acontecendo na Faixa de Gaza com o povo palestino, não existe em nenhum outro momento histórico. Aliás, existiu quando Hitler resolveu matar os judeus

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Against liberty

Likening Israel's war to the Holocaust goes further than calling it genocide, which counts as against liberty.

He removed Brazil's ambassador from Israel for good and left the embassy under a chargé d'affaires.

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Against liberty

Recalling the ambassador counts as against liberty.

In the speech in which he again called Israel's war in Gaza a genocide, he also said nothing justifies the terrorist acts carried out by Hamas.

“Absolutely nothing justifies the terrorist acts perpetrated by Hamas.”

In Portuguese: Absolutamente nada justifica as ações terroristas perpetradas pelo Hamas.

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Not clear either way

He calls the acts terrorist, but his government does not list Hamas as a terrorist organisation, so the sentence does not settle the measure.

Returning from China, he said the decision to go to war in Ukraine was taken by two countries, Russia and Ukraine.

“The decision to go to war was taken by two countries”

In Portuguese: A decisão da guerra foi tomada por 2 países

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Against liberty

Putting the invaded country on the same footing as the invader excuses Russia.

At the BRICS summit in Russia he had Brazil's diplomats block Venezuela from joining the group, against the wishes of Russia and China, after Nicolás Maduro ignored his calls to end the repression that followed the 2024 election.

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With liberty

Keeping the Maduro government out of the group, over Moscow's and Beijing's objection, stands against one of their clients.

When United States forces captured Nicolás Maduro, he said the bombing of Venezuela and the capture of its president crossed an unacceptable line.

“The bombings on Venezuelan territory and the capture of its president cross an unacceptable line.”

In Portuguese: Os bombardeios em território venezuelano e a captura do seu presidente ultrapassam uma linha inaceitável.

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Against liberty

Condemning the removal of the Maduro government sides with Venezuela's rulers against the United States.

He signed the law that sets aside R$ 30 billion over six years for the armed forces' strategic projects and keeps that money outside the government's spending limit.

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With liberty

New money to equip the armed forces counts as with liberty.

His justice ministry stopped travellers without a visa from leaving airport transit areas to ask for refuge, after the federal police found the route was being used to reach the United States and Canada.

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With liberty

Enforcing the visa rule at the border and cutting irregular entry counts as with liberty.

In his 2022 open letter to evangelical voters he pledged that his government would never use symbols of faith for party politics and would respect the separation of church and state.

“my Government will never use symbols of your Faith for party-political ends, respecting the laws and traditions that separate the State from the Church, so that there is no political interference in the practice of the Faith.”

In Portuguese: meu Governo jamais vai usar símbolos de sua Fé para fins político-partidários, respeitando as leis e as tradições que separam o Estado da Igreja, para que não haja interferência política na prática da Fé.

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With liberty

A pledge to keep church and state apart counts as with liberty.

His government reached a deal with the evangelical caucus in Congress to back a constitutional amendment that widens the tax immunity of churches.

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Against liberty

A wider tax exemption for religious bodies, negotiated with their caucus, counts as against liberty.

Asked about the loss-making state postal company, he said there would be no privatisation while he is president.

“There can be a partnership, the company can be turned into a mixed-capital company, but there will be no privatisation”

In Portuguese: Pode existir parceria, pode transformar a empresa em empresa de economia mista, mas privatização não vai ter

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Against liberty

Ruling out privatisation counts as against liberty.

He signed the decree that brought the free trade agreement between Mercosur and the European Union into Brazilian law.

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With liberty

Free trade counts as with liberty.

He signed two decrees setting rules for social networks, one of which makes a regulator attached to the Ministry of Justice responsible for checking that platforms follow the Supreme Court's rules on the content they must remove.

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Against liberty

Rules made by decree that put a government regulator over what platforms must remove counts as against liberty.

He signed the law that raises to 30% the share of federal civil service posts reserved for black, mixed-race, indigenous and quilombola candidates.

“It is important to be clear about this, to allow this country one day to have public offices in Brazil that look like the society itself.”

In Portuguese: É importante ter clareza disso, de permitir que esse país um dia possa ter uma sociedade com a cara da própria sociedade nas repartições públicas brasileiras.

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Against liberty

Quotas by race counts as against liberty.

He signed the plain language law, which bars gender-neutral word forms such as "todes" from official documents addressed to citizens.

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With liberty

Barring gender-neutral language from the state's documents is against an inclusive language mandate.