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Jermaine Jackson is defending his brother Michael after the controversial documentary “Leaving Neverland” debuted at the Sundance Film Festival.
Jackson told ITV’s “Good Morning Britain” on Wednesday that his brother was “tried by a jury of his peers” and “was acquitted.”
The documentary film premiered last week and is set to air in the spring on HBO and the U.K.’s Channel 4. It focuses on the sexual abuse allegations by Wade Robson and James Safechuck. The two men accused Michael Jackson of sexually abusing them as boys.
Robson and Safechuck met Jackson when they were very young, according to Vanity Fair. Both the boys and their families became very close with the singer over the years. The two allege they both had sexual relationships with the legendary musician when they were age 7 and 10, and that they didn’t realize they were abused until they became fathers later in life.
Robson and Safechuck both took the stand to defend Jackson during his 1993 trial on child molestation charges, but they changed their stances when they sued the Jackson estate in 2013 and 2014, respectively, formally acknowledging the existence and breadth of the alleged abuse. Both cases were thrown out by a judge on the basis of a statute of limitations.
Jermaine Jackson said his brother was innocent.
“Those were slumber parties, there were girls there with their parents watching movies and eating cookies,” Jera said of his brother.
“I’m 1,000 percent sure” of Michael’s innocence, Jermaine said.
He said there was “no truth to this documentary.”
MICHAEL JACKSON MUSIC BLARES AT SUNDANCE DESPITE HARROWING SEXUAL MISCONDUCT DOCUMENTARY
“Our family are tired. We’re very tired. Let this man rest,” Jermaine said. “He did a lot for the world, let him rest. I’ll just say this: There is no truth to this documentary.”
The family released a statement regarding the documentary on Monday.
“Michael always turned the other cheek, and we have always turned the other cheek when people have gone after members of our family — that is the Jackson way,” the statement said. “But we can’t just stand by while this public lynching goes on. … Michael is not here to defend himself, otherwise these allegations would not have been made.”
Jackson died in 2009.
“Leaving Neverland’s” director Dan Reed said in a statement that the film focuses only on the two men and their families because he felt “no need to include the opinions of the people with no direct knowledge of what happened” to them.
Fox News’ Anna Hopkins and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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