With an opening speech of 26 minutes at the Constitution and Justice Commission (CCJ) of the Senate, the nominee to the Federal Supreme Court (STF) by President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, lawyer Cristiano Zanin, presented himself this Wednesday morning ( 21) to the CCJ parliamentarians, responsible for deliberating and approving, or not, their appointment to the highest court in the country. About 30 senators signed up to ask questions of the nominee. To the parliamentarians, Zanin said that he feels safe and has the necessary experience to act in the STF and “judge relevant issues that have an extreme impact on our society, because in my legal activities I have always followed premises analogous to those of a judge, by keeping myself in emotional and intellectual balance, even in times of great challenges, having a sense of justice without ever discrediting Brazilian laws and institutions and continuing to act independently to guarantee justice in a country with solid democratic pillars, such as Brazil”. When starting the presentation, Zanin mentioned his own family and the Italian origin of his ancestors. He cited his mother, a teacher and director of a public school, and his lawyer father. “It was with my father, now retired and aged 87, that my passion for law blossomed”, he said. Soon after, he debated criticisms that he would be a “personal lawyer”, for having acted in individual cases, or a “luxury lawyer”, because he defended business causes of important economic groups. “I tried to perform my role with mastery, believing in what is most important for any legal professional: justice”, he pondered. Zanin gave a brief summary of his career, cited the offices he worked for and concluded that he considers himself “a fervent defender of the Brazilian Constitution and an attentive critic of violations of fundamental rights and guarantees”. He also recalled that, in his 25 years as a lawyer, he led more than 100 cases judged by the STF and more than 550 judged by the Superior Court of Justice (STJ). Defense of Lula Still in the opening presentation, Zanin highlighted his role in defending President Lula in the Lava Jato operation processes. “Although I have a career marked basically in business law, I was co-author of the habeas corpus that resulted in the annulment of the convictions of the current President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva and also of technical defenses that were appreciated in the most diverse courts of the country”, he said . Zanin recalled that he was one of the “authors of the first statement made by a Brazilian citizen before the UN Human Rights Committee”. In this process, Zanin managed to get the UN body to recognize the violations committed against President Lula in the Lava Jato processes. Lawyer and minister of the STF Zanin also highlighted that he knows “the distinction of roles between a lawyer and a minister of the Federal Supreme Court”. And he highlighted that his performance in the private sector “strictly followed Brazilian laws, from the perspective of fairness and justice, defending democracy and the democratic rule of law”. Zanin also added that he should not change sides, “because my side has always been the same, the side of the Constitution, the side of guarantees, the broad right of defense, the due process of law. For me, there is only one side; the other is barbarism, it is abuse of power”. Defense of democracy Lawyer Cristiano Zanin also highlighted, in his initial presentation to the CCJ, the issue of defense of democracy. “I will not allow insurgent attacks that disturb the strength of the Republic,” he said. He then emphasized the importance of freedom of expression. According to him, “this is one of the fundamental principles in a democratic society such as Brazil. It guarantees the right of every individual to express their opinions, ideas and beliefs freely, without fear of reprisal or government censorship. Always responsibly”.
Agência Brasil
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