A judge in Brazil on Friday authorized the release of jailed ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, after a Supreme Court ruling paved the way for thousands of convicts to be freed.
The order came hours after Lula’s lawyers requested the immediate release of the 74-year-old leftist icon, who has been serving a nearly nine-year sentence for corruption and money laundering.
Late Thursday, the Supreme Court overturned a rule requiring convicted criminals to go to jail after losing their first appeal.
