CPJ, others reject 7-year prison sentence for Brazilian journalist over blog

The Committee to Protect Journalists joined the 10 other members of Brazil’s Coalition in Defense of Journalism in condemning the August 12 sentencing of journalist Ricardo Antunes to seven years in prison for slander, libel, and defamation after he published five blog posts about a businessman.

The posts dealt with an investigation into an alleged corruption scheme involving the businessman, a company, and Caruaru City Hall in the northeastern state of Pernambuco, in the organization of events.

“Criminal justice is not the appropriate response to dealing with slander, defamation and libel. These should be addressed solely through civil lawsuits, to enable the balancing of rights and preserving freedom of expression and of the press,” the statement said.

Read the full statement in English here.

Read the full statement in Portuguese here.