Brazilian president’s lawyer sends threatening message to UOL journalist Juliana Dal Piva
Rio de Janeiro, July 13, 2021 – Brazilian officials and their representatives should refrain from harassing members of the press who cover them and Brazilian authorities should ensure reporters can do their work without reprisal, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On July 9, Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro’s personal lawyer Frederick Wassef sent a lengthy…
In five Latin American countries, COVID-19 responses restrict press freedom, CPJ, TrustLaw find
In Bolivia, Brazil, El Salvador, and Peru, emergency measures in response to COVID-19 restricted the media’s capacity to report freely and the public’s ability to access information, including critical information about public health interventions and the pandemic itself, a report by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Thomson Reuters Foundation’s TrustLaw program found. The report,…
Police investigate The Intercept Brasil editor Leandro Demori over reporting on police killings
Rio de Janeiro, June 21, 2021 – Authorities in Rio de Janeiro should immediately drop a criminal investigation into journalist Leandro Demori, and stop using the threat of criminal charges to intimidate journalists, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On May 12, the Rio de Janeiro Civil Police Unit for Repression of Cyber Crimes…
Brazilian Supreme Court rules in favor of photojournalist Alex Silveira, injured by police while covering protest in 2000
Rio de Janeiro, June 15, 2021 — The Committee to Protect Journalists today welcomed a Brazilian Supreme Court ruling requiring São Paulo state to compensate photojournalist Alex Silveira for an injury inflicted by police officers. On May 18, 2000, Military Police officers shot Silveira, then a photojournalist at the São Paulo daily newspaper Agora, in…
Brazilian media outlet that covers women’s rights targeted with DDoS attack
Between March 26 and April 2, 2021, unidentified internet users orchestrated distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on Portal Catarinas, an online media outlet specializing in gender, feminism, and human rights, according to Paula Guimarães, the portal’s executive director and a report by the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (ABRAJI). The attacks flooded the site with traffic…
Brazilian journalist Diego Santos receives envelope with threat and bullets
Rio de Janeiro, April 8, 2021 – Brazilian authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the threat made to journalist Diego Santos and ensure his safety, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On the morning of April 1, Santos checked the mailbox outside his home in the city of Boa Vista, the capital of the…
CPJ joins open letter calling on Brazilian Congressional leaders to protect press freedom
The Committee to Protect Journalists today joined seven Brazilian and international press freedom organizations in publishing an open letter addressed to Rodrigo Pacheco, president of Brazil’s Federal Senate, and Arthur Lira, president of the Chamber of Deputies, calling on Congressional leaders to protect press freedom and journalist safety in the country. The letter, published today to…
Brazilian journalist’s home, newspaper office targeted in arson attack
Rio de Janeiro, March 23, 2021 – Brazilian authorities should promptly and thoroughly investigate the arson attack on the Folha da Região newspaper and the home of editor José Antônio Arantes, and ensure the safety of Arantes, his family, and the outlet’s staff, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. At 4:19 a.m. on March…
Brazilian sports blogger faces 5-month prison sentence over 2016 defamation case
Rio de Janeiro, March 11, 2021 – Brazilian authorities should not arrest sports blogger Paulo Cezar de Andrade Prado, and should reform the country’s defamation laws to ensure members of the press do not face imprisonment for their work, the Committee to Protect Journalists said today. On February 23, the 26th Criminal Court of São…
Brazilian journalist Patrícia Campos Mello sued President Bolsonaro’s son for moral damages – and won
In May of last year, Eduardo Bolsonaro, a Brazilian congressman and the son of President Jair Bolsonaro, made a series of searing accusations against journalist Patrícia Campos Mello on the YouTube channel of far-right media company Terça Livre. He claimed that Campos Mello, a reporter with Brazilian daily Folha de S.Paulo, had attempted to use sex to…