Overview

• An Argentine federal court has authorized Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva to visit former president Cristina Kirchner at her Buenos Aires home under strict conduct rules.
• Kirchner began serving a six-year fraud sentence under house arrest in mid-June after Argentina’s Supreme Court upheld her conviction and imposed a lifetime ban from public office.
• The visit coincides with this week’s Mercosur summit and marks Lula’s first trip to Argentina since President Javier Milei assumed power in December 2023.
• Under her detention terms, Kirchner must seek judicial approval for all non-essential visitors and adhere to rules designed to prevent public disturbances.
• Since her conviction, tens of thousands of supporters have rallied across Argentina and hundreds have maintained a round-the-clock vigil outside her apartment.