Politics and Judicial Power: Warnings from Brazil & Argentina

A panel discussion on how courts and criminal prosecution are used in Latin American political competition, often called lawfare, looking at Argentina and Brazil as key cases. It covers Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva's imprisonment and exclusion from Brazil's 2018 election and his later return to the presidency, and Cristina Fernández de Kirchner's conviction and house arrest in Argentina's Vialidad case. The panel asks what is lost when political leaders are removed from the electoral arena, beyond a candidacy. It is presented by the Observatory on Latin America at The New School for Social Research, with welcoming remarks by Michael Cohen and speakers Jorge Taiana, Gisele Ricobon and Delfina Rossi.