OAS expresses concern about threats and stigmatization at journalists in Brazil

On 06.Mar.6, 2020, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR), linked to the Organization of American States (OAS), opened space to hear reports on violations of freedom of expression and of the press in Brazil, highlighted in the last year. Civil society organizations, including the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji), were in Port-au-Prince, the Haitian capital, to participate in a hearing in the context of the 175th  Regular Session.

The Brazilian delegation presented reports and figures on the state of freedom of expression in Brazil. A survey made by Abraji, for example, recorded more than 150 cases of violations against journalists in 2018. A survey by the National Federation of Journalists (Fenaj) shows that, the President of the Republic alone, Jair Bolsonaro, produced an average of ten attacks per month against communicators and press outlets.

Representatives of Brazilian organizations requested that freedom of expression in Brazil be treated as a priority by the IACHR. They also requested a joint official visit to Brazil by the special rapporteurs of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) and the United Nations (UN) on freedom of expression, Edison Lanza and David Kaye, respectively.

President of the hearing, Commissioner Joel Hernández García reminded that the hearing was granted by the OAS due to the entity’s own concern with the constant threats and stigmatization of the work of journalists in Brazil.

What the government said
The Brazilian government also participated in the hearing, represented by Daniel Leão, of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Alexandre Magno, Deputy Secretary for Global Policies of the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights, and Giselle Pinheiro Arcoverde, of the Ministry of Justice and Public Safety. The legal advisor of Empresa Brasil de Comunicação (EBC), Francisco Lima, also spoke to the commission.

They declared that the Brazilian government is attentive to national and international regulations and quoted the Program for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, Communicators and Environmentalists. They mentioned the brochure on protection for journalists, relaunched on 02.Mar.2020. The manual points at the federal government's obligations regarding prevention, protection and access to justice in cases of violence against media professionals, but contradicts the government's own attitudes.

The special rapporteur on freedom of expression of the IACHR, Edison Lanza, said that measures such as the brochure would only be effective if accompanied by a prevention policy. “There are no effective protection policies if, in a systematic way, the press is attacked and harassed. This exposes journalists and the press to violence,” he said.

The representative of the Ministry of Women, Family and Human Rights, Alexandre Magno Moreira, stated: "in relation to the speeches of the president, we want to remind that in Brazil there is no censorship".

Denise Dora, executive director of Artigo 19, pointed out that the government's official statements at the hearing and the recent events in Brazil are contradictory. "There is a deep suspicion of the government's ability to protect journalists and communicators when it is the government itself that attacks them," he said.

Cases mentioned
Among the cases brought to the OAS hearing were those regarding Glenn Greenwald (The Intercept Brasil), Patrícia Campos Mello (Folha de S. Paulo) and Vera Magalhães (TV Cultura and Estado de S. Paulo).

Also part of the Brazilian commission were Helena Bertho, editor in chief of AzMina magazine. In September 2019, reporters of the outlet were the object of harassment and virtual lynching after they published a report about procedures for carrying out legal abortions in Brazil and worldwide. At the time, the Minister of Women, Family and Human Rights, Damares Alves, denounced the magazine in court for practicing “apology for crime”.

During her presentation, Bertho recalled the attacks against female journalists, aggravated by the sexist and misogynist nature.
"The simple fact that a ministry acts this way shows that what is at stake in Brazil is a veiled threat to the media that disseminates information about ideas contrary to those defended by the federal government," she said.

In addition to violence against communicators, the free speech hearing addressed recent violations against artistic and cultural freedom and against transparency policies.

Besides the March 6, 2020 hearing, Abraji and other organizations met with OAS representatives. “It was important to note the worry of Edison Lanza, special rapporteur for freedom of expression, and of the OAS secretary general, Luis Almagro, about the scenario of bias and hostility towards the Brazilian press. Both reinforced that the State needs to commit to the protection of freedom of expression and other human rights in Brazil,” said Juliana Fonteles, legal assistant at Abraji envoy to the hearing.

Representing Brazilian organizations, besides Fonteles, were Emmanuel Colombié (Reporter Without Borders), Renata Mielli (National Forum for the Democratization of Communication and Barão de Itararé), Olívia Bandeira (Intervozes), Helena Bertho (AzMina), Denise Dora (Article 19), and Émerson Maranhão (audiovisual producer).