BRAZIL DOES NOT HAVE FREE SPEACH ANYMORE.
By Epoch Times - Paulo Figueired - 5/29/2024
However, perhaps the most egregious example of this troubling trend is Brazil. According to Elon Musk, no country where X (formerly Twitter) operates experiences a worse state of censorship than Brazil, a nation until recently regarded as the largest liberal democracy in the Southern Hemisphere.
Since 2019, the powerful Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, now infamous, has been conducting his investigation dubbed the “Fake News Probe.” This probe has targeted hundreds of individuals, most recently including Elon Musk himself, for allegedly spreading “disinformation.”The consequences of this investigation have been severe. Numerous people, including journalists such as me, have had their social media accounts blocked, passports revoked, and financial assets frozen.
Others have faced even harsher fates, including imprisonment—all under the guise of “combating disinformation” and “protecting democracy.” Glenn Greenwald, a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and co-founder of The Intercept, has been one of the most vocal critics of this crackdown.In a recent article, he wrote: “The level of repression and censorship in Brazil is staggering. It’s a country that has really become a cautionary tale about the dangers of unchecked power and the erosion of civil liberties.”
When leftist Lula da Silva resumed the Brazilian presidency in 2023, he realized that, because of the precedent set by Justice Moraes, he now wielded censorship powers he did not possess during his first two terms (2003–2010). He gained the ability to criminally prosecute any speech that contradicted the government’s narrative. This became evident in the aftermath of this month’s devastating floods in southern Brazil, a catastrophe surpassing the impact of Hurricane Katrina in the United States.
As government aid was delayed, federal agencies displayed immense incompetence, and bureaucratic hurdles even led to fines being imposed on trucks carrying donations from civil society, information and videos exposing these facts began to circulate on social media and some news outlets. Independent journalists and opposition politicians, such as Congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, shared these videos and information, only to be met with Lula da Silva’s response, labeling the criticism as “fake news” and “disinformation” amid a calamitous situation.
The Brazilian government ordered the Federal Police to open an investigation into the matter, targeting even members of Congress.The Brazil of Lula da Silva and Justice Moraes serves as a stark reminder to the world of a lesson that should have been learned long ago: It is foolish and naive to believe that censorship will be “temporary” or “restricted.” Once a government succeeds in establishing a Ministry of Truth and dictating what can and cannot be said, it will inevitably use these powers to silence any genuine opposition.
When governments arrogate to themselves the power to determine what is true and what is false, they open the door to tyranny. It’s a slippery slope that leads inexorably to the suppression of dissent and the erosion of democracy. Until recently, this was a point of consensus among liberals and conservatives alike. It appears that is no longer the case.For in the immortal words of George Orwell, “If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear.” The events unfolding in Brazil should serve as a warning to us all.
By Epoch Times - Paulo Figueired - 5/29/2024
Views expressed in this article are opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
