UN Human Rights Committee says Brazil’s Lula should have political rights

The UN Human Rights Committee has requested that the Brazilian government allow imprisoned former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva to exercise his political rights. The committee announced the request in a statement on Friday. Lula is the presidential candidate for his Workers Party and leads polls ahead of the October ballot. However, he is widely expected to be banned from running by an electoral court, Reuters reported. The politician was jailed in April on a corruption conviction. If the electoral court bans Lula, his lawyers are expected to appeal to the Supreme Court.