Brasilia, Brazil.- Six members of Brazilian popular movements will start a hunger strike here today for an undetermined period to demand the release of Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his right to be a presidential candidate.

Few people have the courage to make a decision like that, because it is not a fast for two or three days, but a hunger strike that has no deadline, said the member of the Front Brazil Popular (FBP), Joao Pedro Stedile, when announcing that extreme measure.

The strike will start at 16:00 hours, local time, on Tuesday near the Federal Supreme Court (STF) and will involve four men and two women from the Movement of Small Farmers (MPM), the Movement of Rural Landless Workers (MST) and the Union of Popular Movements (CMP).

At a press conference on Monday, Frei Sergio, who represents the MPA and will be one of the strikers, explained that the time to end what he described as ‘a gesture of peace’ will be determined by the STF members, who have faculties to order Lula’s release.

He made it clear that none of the strikers is suicidal, and noted, ‘We love life and we want to live. Of course, if after some days of fasting something serious happens to some of us, some people will be guilty and responsible.’