Brazil: CFWIJ welcomes the court verdict against Eduardo Bolsonaro to pay damages to journalist Patricia Campos

March 4, 2021— Patricia Campos, a columnist and correspondent, for the Brazilian daily newspaper Folha de S. Paulo, won her libel case against President Bolsonaro's son on February 18.  Eduardo Bolsonaro had accused the journalist of seducing a source to acquire compromising information about his father. The judge ordered Eduardo Bolsonaro to pay damages amounting to $5600 for slandering the journalist and questioning her professional ethics. CFWIJ welcomes the decision and hopes it will set a precedent to end the pervasive harassment against women journalists in Brazil.

Thirty-six-year-old lawmaker Eduardo Bolsonaro accused Patricia of using sexual advances to obtain embarrassing details about him and his father. In a now-deleted YouTube video, the lawmaker claimed the journalist manipulated an employee at a digital marketing agency to use as her source. He also accused that Patricia earned a promotion for spreading false information against him and the president. 

In response to these accusations, Patricia filed libel charges against Eduardo and won her case. In the court ruling, the judge explained that "an elected official should have more caution with his statements_ something that is expected from all those with a sense of responsibility to the nation." However, this judgment may not deter Eduardo from repeating his defamatory accusations. 

In an interview with CPJ, Patricia recounted the online trolling and harassment in the streets. She stated that certain members of the Brazilian government have often used such tactics against journalists. Their aim is usually to put pressure on journalists to drop an investigative story. She also emphasized that online harassment is no longer limited to the internet but is now executed in the streets. 

The Coalition For Women In Journalism welcomes the court decision & stands in solidarity with Patricia. We hope the verdict shall mark a significant shift in Brazilian officials' treatment towards journalists. We urge the Brazilian authorities to put an end to such intimidations and ensure the safety of Patricia and other women journalists.