Judge forbade bloggers to talk about charges against representative

The bloggerrs Enock Cavalcanti and Adriana Vandoni, from the Brazilian State of Mato Grosso (MT), were forbidden in a preliminary injunction by the judge Pedro Sakamoto from voicing personal opinion regarding injunctions held by prosecution against the representative José Riva. Riva is president of Mato Grosso’s Legislative Assembly and defendant in more than a hundred lawsuits regarding an alleged scheme of embezzlement of up to R$ 80 million.

The judge also made that the texts considered “offensive” were deleted from Cavalcanti’s blog. The journalists will have to pay a daily fine of R$1.000 in the case of disobeying the decision.

Vandoni and Enock, who reported an accusation from Ministério Público Federal (MPF)* against Riva in their blogs, are not allowed to voice any opinion until the legal process is judged up to the last instance. In one of her subsequent texts, Vandoni ironically remarks that this would make it possible for her to publish her opinion “in about 25 years” – in spite of answering to more than 119 lawsuits, Riva has not yet been convicted by any of them. “I feel outraged, tied”, completes the blogger, who intends to appeal against the decision.

The legal process in case regards MPF’s accusation according to which Riva and his political ally, Humberto Melo Bosaipo, would have embezzled around R$1.661.761,34 from the Legislative Assembly between September and December 2001 using the dummy corporation K.A. Sardinha Publicidade e Eventos.

According to Vandoni, she could observe Riva’s influence in her region right after the judge’s decision. “the support I’ve been receiving comes essentially from outside. The smallest the town, more tied to the public power it is”.

Even so, she claims to be satisfied with the response the case has been obtaining. “I see the people’s reaction and feel comforted”. Besides the support of a number of bloggers across the country, the case has also had repercussion on the Senate, with the speech from the representative of the State of Amazonas, Arthur Virgílio, to whom “It is all that they need, the wrongdoers, that there is an environment of silence coming from the press”. As stated by the journalist, it is observed in Latin American countries, such as Venezuela or Bolivia, the obstruction of freedom of speech, but, in her view, the Brazilian case is not yet the same. “the actions of a deputy can be the beginning of that in the country, but, judging by the people’s reaction, I can see this is not going to stick here”.

*Federal Public Ministry, Brazilian institution responsible, amongst other things, for legally protecting public property