The End of Free Speech and Beginning of Political Persecution in Brazil

Dictatorship of the Robe: In Brazil, the judiciary is accused of repressing opponents. Freedom of speech has become so limited that even X, formerly Twitter, has left the largest country in South America. One of the most evident examples of censorship is being experienced by the Bolsonaro family, as Eduardo Bolsonaro denounced in Mexico.

During his speech at CPAC Mexico, Brazilian Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro condemned the restrictions on freedom of speech in his home country by the judiciary. He criticized how both he and his father, former President Jair Bolsonaro, have been targets of judicial censorship.

Electoral Court Censorship Affected Bolsonaro’s Campaign

The persecution is so intense that Brazil’s highest electoral body, the Superior Electoral Court, banned the use of images from the September 7th Independence Day demonstrations in Jair Bolsonaro’s electoral campaign. Millions of Brazilians took to the streets in the largest demonstrations in Brazil’s history, yet the «justice» system prohibits showcasing them. Isn’t democracy supposed to be the will of the people? In Brazil, that will is being silenced. Eduardo Bolsonaro claims this directly harmed his father’s electoral narrative. «My father couldn’t use it in his TV campaign,» he lamented.

«In Brazil, especially, all censorship comes from the judiciary,» he added.

He also mentioned that censorship has reached the audiovisual sector. Brazil’s «justice» system has silenced documentaries about the judicial proceedings against former President Bolsonaro. As a contrast to how the country’s reality has changed, it’s important to note that the production company Brasil Paralelo (whose name suggests there is an alternative nation to what the judiciary tries to impose) made a documentary about the 2018 election acts and the judicial controversies surrounding Jair Bolsonaro, and no judge said anything.

Brazil Suffers a Dictatorship of the Robe

But now, the control of the STF, Supreme Federal Court, is such that it even censors social networks. Eduardo Bolsonaro claims that this dictatorship of the robe not only represses freedom of expression but also has a clear political bias and even serves electoral purposes. On one hand, it harms the Bolsonaros (right-wing), while on the other, it benefits Lula Da Silva (left-wing).

It is not insignificant that most of the justices of the Supreme Federal Court were appointed by presidents from Lula’s party, the Workers’ Party, indicating their leftist leaning.

Even a Progressive Journalist Denounces Persecution Against the Bolsonaros

It’s worth noting that these accusations go beyond just Eduardo Bolsonaro. Even journalist Glenn Greenwald has exposed the censorship against the Bolsonaros. Greenwald, who resides in Brazil, married a man there, and they adopted two children, is an LGBT activist who now supports the conservative leaders. Additionally, Greenwald is openly anti-Zionist, while the Bolsonaros have shown support for Israel.

Despite being on opposite ends of the political spectrum, Greenwald has stood out as a defender of freedom of expression and denounces its censorship, regardless of its source. Since his late partner was Brazilian, Greenwald has lived in Brazil for years and is familiar with the local reality.

In fluent Portuguese, Greenwald denounced on X that someone was arrested based on a false accusation that even the media retracted, all without a trial. He then laments that these individuals were left to rot for months, hoping they would betray someone. He further claims that any journalist who tries to interview them about their unjust imprisonment is censored. This is Xandão, he declared.

Greenwald also noted in the same thread that he was one of the journalists censored for interviewing Lula in 2018. «After Folha obtained authorization, I also went. It was outrageous, but… at least Lula was convicted and arrested (affirmed by Xandão/STF). Filipe Martins wasn’t, but he was jailed for 6 months for lying, without a prior trial.»

For those unaware, Filipe Martins was one of Jair Bolsonaro’s closest advisors, serving as his consultant on international matters. He went from a high-ranking position to jail, all without due process. It’s worth recalling that Che Guevara said that due process was a «bourgeois fetish.» When the extreme left is in power, it often disregards the right to a defense.

Eduardo Bolsonaro himself has echoed Greenwald’s accusations on social media. He pointed out that what Greenwald says is true: «Filipe wasn’t even convicted; his preventive detention was so strange that they fear what he might say in an interview. The only option left was to censor him. But don’t worry, the truth comes from all sides. Resorting to censorship is a sign of the desperation that precedes the fall.»

Elon Musk Shut Down Operations in Brazil Due to Censorship and Persecution

During his recent visit to Mexico, Eduardo Bolsonaro revealed that the persecution extends even to social media employees like those at Twitter in Brazil. He accused them of being threatened with imprisonment if they did not comply with court orders to censor content related to the Bolsonaro family and their political allies. As a result, Elon Musk announced that he would close operations in Brazil.

Justice in Brazil Has an Ideological and Partisan Bias

Perhaps the gravest issue is how this censorship serves political purposes. During the 2022 campaign, the judiciary even prohibited linking then-presidential candidate Lula Da Silva with drug trafficking (and even fined Bolsonaro for saying it), abortion, and tyrants like Daniel Ortega and Nicolás Maduro, Lula’s allies.

It sounds like something out of a dystopian novel, but it’s the reality in Brazil. The Superior Electoral Court has the power to ban speeches to benefit the left and harm the right. They don’t want it revealed that Brazil is the cradle of the largest organized crime network in South America: the PCC (First Capital Command). And during his time in prison as a guerrilla, Lula Da Silva was cellmates with the founder of the PCC, meaning their connection goes back a long way.

International analyst and columnist Lucas Ribeiro explained to Gateway Hispano that Brazil today is like a mix of Orwell’s «1984» with «Chaves del 8» and Woody Allen’s movie «Bananas»: an authoritarian and censorious system, while at the same time being like a «fourth-division 1984.» It’s «1984» mixed with a «Banana Republic,» authoritarianism with something very ridiculous.

Original by Mamela Fiallo Flor.

Maria Herrera Mellado

María Herrera Mellado es una abogada en EE.UU. y España y Doctora en Ciencias Jurídicas. Completó sus estudios de grado y posgrado en EE.UU. y Europa. Profesional distinguida, la Dra. Herrera es conocida por su amplia experiencia en políticas públicas, asuntos legales y relaciones internacionales. Su reconocimiento proviene de sus contribuciones a diversas organizaciones gubernamentales y no gubernamentales, centradas en temas como la integridad electoral, los derechos humanos y la gobernanza democrática. María ha desempeñado un papel fundamental en la defensa de la transparencia y la rendición de cuentas en los procesos políticos, y sus esfuerzos han sido instrumentales para impulsar reformas y fomentar el desarrollo sostenible en varias regiones. Su formación académica y experiencias profesionales la convierten en una voz respetada en el debate sobre los desafíos políticos y legales contemporáneos.

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