Posts Tagged ‘Brazil’
September 13th, 2011
Valderlei Canuto Leandro, host of the show Sinal Verde on Radio Frontera,
was murdered by unidentified gunmen on a motorcycle in Tabatinga, located in the
Brazilian state of Amazonas, on 1 September. Local
bloggers say Canuto was known for his criticism of local politics. In May, Canuto filed a complaint claiming that Tabatinga’s mayor Samuel Benerguy had threatened him with death for reporting on corruption in the municipality.
September 7th, 2011
A court in the
Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul has
prohibited media outlets operated by Grupo RBS from publishing the name or image of councilman, Adenir Mengue Webber, who is involved in a public funds scandal. Failure to comply with the ruling could result in a 600 USD-a-day fine. In August 2010, Fantástico, a TV programme, presented a series of reports denouncing trips taken by council members using state funds. The politicians justified the trips, saying they involved training courses. The
National Association of Newspapers and the
Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism both
condemned the ruling, saying it violated freedom of expression.
August 31st, 2011
Courts in the
Brazilian state of Ceará have
blocked access to 140,000 USD in the accounts of Google Brazil after the internet giant refused to take down a series of blogs with content deemed “offensive” toward the mayor of Várzea Alegre. The blogs in question accuse the mayor of corruption and diverting public funds, although no sources have been cited for the accusations. The mayor has reportedly said the blogs’ anonymous messages smear his image.
August 26th, 2011
The
Brazilian Superior Court of Justice this week
sentenced J.L. Editora, publisher of the newspaper Folha do Espirito Santo, and journalists Jackson Rangel Vieira and Hinger Mansur to pay Judge Camilo José D’Ávila Couto for moral damages. The judge accused the journalists and publisher of publishing articles that distorted facts and contained slanderous content, in which Couto was described as “omnipotent,” “young without experience,” “vindictive,” and “drunk with power.” The judge considered them attacks on his honour, public image and personal integrity.
August 16th, 2011
Marina Silva, a photojournalist for
Brazilian newspaper Correio, was
arrested on 11 August while covering the killing of a military police sergeant in the northeastern city of Salvador de Bahía. The military police claimed that Silva challenged the police officers, while reports say that Silva and other witnesses deny the allegation. The Bahian Journalists’ Union accused the police of brutality, claiming in a statement that officers broke Silva’s arm, pushed her against a vehicle and tried to break her camera. The Secretary of Public Security in Bahía said the case is under investigation and promised to determine if the police used excessive force in the journalist’s arrest.
August 10th, 2011
Rodrigo Rangel, a journalist with
Brazilian magazine Veja, was
assaulted by his interviewee on the afternoon of 4 August at a restaurant in Brasilia, according to newspaper Folha de S. Paulo. Veja said Rangel went to speak with lobbyist Júlio Fróes for an article about supposed corruption and influence peddling in the Ministry of Agriculture. The two spoke for about half an hour when Fróes began kicking and beating the reporter. The lobbyist also threatened Rangel and took his notebook. The scene was witnessed by several people, and a complaint was filed with the police department.
July 28th, 2011
The controversial
‘A Serbian Film’ has been
banned from being screened at the RioFan film festival by the event’s main sponsor, Brazilian national bank Caixa Econômica Federal. A
statement on the festival’s website says organisers were given no further information behind the decision to veto the film’s screening. Meanwhile, a statement from a spokesman of the bank’s board
claims “not every creative product fits in an unrestrained way in any medium or place.” RioFan responded by saying it opposes all forms of censorship.‘A Serbian Film’ has raised
controversy for its depictions of pornography and violence. It was cut from London’s
FrightFest film festival last year, while in May the director of Spain’s
Sitges film festival, Angel Sala, was
charged with the exhibition of child pornography in connection with an adults-only screening of the film.
June 24th, 2011
Journalist and political leader, Edinaldo Figueira, was
shot to death on 15 June. He founded a Brazilian newspaper and was president of a branch of the Workers’ Party in Brazil’s northern state of Rio Grande do Norte. He also
blogged regularly on local politics. It is rumoured Figueira’s killing is retribution for his recent blogpost critizing city officials.
