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Open Letter On the Free Speech Crisis in Brazil

Dear Honorable Members of the Federal Senate and the Chamber of Deputies of Brazil,

We, the undersigned, condemn the recent attack on free speech in Brazil. We have witnessed increasing threats to this fundamental right worldwide over the past year. Brazil’s shutdown of the social media platform X (formerly Twitter), ordered by Supreme Court Judge Alexandre de Moraes, represents a dangerous escalation of this troubling trend of global censorship of speech.

On 8 August, X announced that Judge de Moraes had ordered the blocking of certain popular accounts—ranging from journalists to political figures—under the pretext of tackling “misinformation.” When X resisted the demand for censorship, the judge responded with threats of arrest, though the platform remained accessible. On 30 August, the judge ordered the immediate nationwide blocking of X and threatened fines of around $9,000 USD per day for anyone using a VPN to access the platform.

This act of judicial overreach punishes both the platform and its users, stifling free discourse and violating Brazil’s own constitution, which prohibits “[a]ny and all censorship of a political, ideological, and artistic nature.” The decision also violates international agreements like the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

This situation extends far beyond Brazil, serving as a striking example of a growing trend of censorship by government officials, who are becoming increasingly aggressive in suppressing speech they find objectionable. If this censorship in Brazil is allowed to persist, it could set a dangerous precedent that quickly spreads. Recently, other world leaders have expressed pro-censorship sentiments, and there is no quicker path to the demise of democracy than the erosion of free speech.

We urge the Brazilian government to restore the free flow of information, and respect the rights of its citizens to express their views without fear of retribution.

Freedom of expression is not negotiable, nor is it a privilege — it is the cornerstone of every democratic society. We must defend it whenever it is under threat, whether in Brazil or anywhere else in the world.

Carta aberta sobre a crise da liberdade de expressão no Brasil

Excelentíssimos Membros do Senado Federal e da Câmara dos Deputados do Brasil,

Nós, abaixo assinados, condenamos o recente ataque à liberdade de expressão no Brasil. Temos testemunhado ameaças crescentes a este direito fundamental em todo o mundo no último ano. O fechamento da rede social X (antigo Twitter) no Brasil, ordenado pelo ministro do Supremo Tribunal Federal, Alexandre de Moraes, representa uma escalada perigosa dessa tendência preocupante de censura global à liberdade de expressão.

Em 8 de agosto, o X anunciou que o ministro Alexandre de Moraes havia ordenado o bloqueio de determinadas contas com amplo alcance popular – de jornalistas a figuras políticas – sob o pretexto de combater a “desinformação”. Quando o X resistiu à demanda de censura, o ministro respondeu com ameaças de prisão, embora a plataforma continuasse acessível. Em 30 de agosto, o ministro ordenou o bloqueio imediato do X em todo o país e ameaçou a imposição de multas de cerca de US$ 9.000 por dia para qualquer pessoa que usasse uma VPN para acessar a rede social.

Este ato de ativismo judicial pune tanto a plataforma quanto seus usuários, sufocando a liberdade de expressão e violando a própria Constituição brasileira, que proíbe “toda e qualquer censura de natureza política, ideológica e artística”. A decisão também viola acordos internacionais como a Declaração Universal dos Direitos Humanos e o Pacto Internacional sobre Direitos Civis e Políticos.

Tal situação se estende para muito além do Brasil, servindo como um exemplo impressionante de uma tendência crescente de censura por parte de autoridades governamentais, que estão se tornando cada vez mais agressivas na supressão de discursos que consideram questionáveis. Se for permitido que essa censura persista no Brasil, isto poderá estabelecer um precedente perigoso e que se espalhará rapidamente. Recentemente, outros líderes mundiais expressaram sentimentos pró-censura, e não há caminho mais rápido para o fim da democracia do que a erosão da liberdade de expressão.

Pedimos ao governo brasileiro que restabeleça o livre fluxo de informações e respeite os direitos de seus cidadãos de expressar suas opiniões sem medo de represálias.

A liberdade de expressão não é negociável, nem é um privilégio – é a pedra angular de toda sociedade democrática. Devemos defendê-la sempre que estiver ameaçada, seja no Brasil ou em qualquer outro lugar do mundo.

Carta abierta sobre la crisis de la libertad de expresión en brasil

Estimados Honorables Miembros del Senado Federal y de la Cámara de Diputados de Brasil,

Nosotros, los abajo firmantes, condenamos el reciente ataque a la libertad de expresión en Brasil. En el último año hemos sido testigos de crecientes amenazas a este derecho fundamental en todo el mundo. El bloqueo en Brasil de la red social X (antes Twitter), ordenado por el juez del Supremo Tribunal Federal Alexandre de Moraes, representa una peligrosa escalada de esta preocupante tendencia mundial de censura y supresión de la expresión.

El 8 de agosto, X dio a conocer que el juez de Moraes le había ordenado el bloqueo de algunas cuentas populares —desde periodistas a personalidades políticas— con el pretexto de combatir la “desinformación.” Cuando X se resistió a esta petición de censura, el juez respondió con amenazas de arresto; con todo, el acceso a la plataforma aún estaba disponible. El 30 de agosto, el juez ordenó el bloqueo inmediato de X en todo el país y amenazó con multas de unos $9.000 dólares por día a quienes accedieran a la plataforma utilizando un VPN.

Este acto de extralimitación judicial castiga no sólo a la plataforma sino también a sus usuarios, sofocando la libertad de expresión y violando la propia Constitución de Brasil, que prohíbe “toda y cualquier censura de carácter político, ideológico y artístico.” La decisión también viola acuerdos internacionales como la Declaración Universal de los Derechos Humanos y el Pacto Internacional de Derechos Civiles y Políticos.

Esta situación se extiende mucho más allá de Brasil; ella es un ejemplo desconcertante de una creciente tendencia de censura por parte de funcionarios de gobierno, quienes son cada vez más agresivos en la supresión de las expresiones que consideran objetables. Si se permite que esta censura persista en Brasil, se sentaría un peligroso precedente que se extendería rápidamente. Recientemente, otros líderes mundiales han expresado sus sentimientos favorables a la censura, y no hay camino más rápido hacia la defunción de la democracia que la erosión de la libertad de expresión.

Instamos a las autoridades brasileñas a que restablezcan la libre circulación de información y respeten el derecho de sus ciudadanos a expresar sus opiniones sin temor a represalias.

La libertad de expresión no es negociable ni es un privilegio —es la piedra angular de toda sociedad democrática. Debemos defenderla siempre que se vea amenazada, ya sea en Brasil o en cualquier otra parte del mundo.

Signatories*

The signatories of this letter are united in their commitment to free speech, and represent a diverse range of viewpoints. We affirm that it is only by free and open debate that we will be able to tackle the issues of our day — a prerequisite for a flourishing society. It is in this spirit that we join together with this letter to support a free and open public square.

David Agape, Brazilian independent investigative journalist

Alfonso Aguilar, Director of Hispanic Engagement, American Principles Project

Cristián Araya, Member of Chilean Congress for the Republican Party

Jamil Assis, Institutional relations director, SIVIS, Brazil

David Atherton, Journalist

Lucy Ana Avilés, Philanthropist & Free Speech Advocate

The Honorable Andrew Bailey, Missouri Attorney General

Stephen Nikola Bartulica, Member of the European Parliament

Megan Basham, Author & Commentator, Daily Wire

Dr. Peter Boghossian, Founding Faculty Advisor, University of Austin

Sam Brownback, Former US Senator, Former US Ambassador-At-Large for International Religious Freedom

The Honorable Hernán Darío Cadavid, Member of Chamber of Deputies, Colombia

Noah Carl, Editor, Aporia Magazine

Sara A. Carter, Investigative columnist & Host, the Sara Carter Show

Prof. Gerard Casey, Professor Emeritus, University College Dublin

Charles J. Chaput, OFMCap, Archbishop Emeritus of Philadelphia

Melissa Chen, co-founder, Ideas Beyond Borders & journalist at The Spectator

Adam B. Coleman, Founder, Wrongspeak Publishing

Paul Coleman, Executive Director, ADF International

Rodrigo Iván Cortés, Former Mexican Congressman & Civil Society Leader

Jamile DeSouza-Davies, Academic & Media personality

Seth Dillon, CEO, The Babylon Bee

Bryony Dixon, Director of Development and Events, Civilisation Works

Misa Djurkovic, Ph.D., Principal Research Fellow, Institute of European Studies, Belgrade

Andrew Doyle, Author & GB News Presenter

Rod Dreher, Author & Columnist

Steven Edginton, US correspondent, GB News

Chris Elston, “Billboard Chris”, Child Protection Advocate, Free Speech Activist

James Esses, Co-founder, Thoughtful Therapists

Alvino-Mario Fantini, Editor-in-Chief, The European Conservative

Ellen Kryger Fantini, Online Editor, The European Conservative

Mamela Fiallo, Ecuadorian journalist and influencer

Ján Figeľ, Former EU Commissioner & first Special Envoy for FoRB outside the EU

Paulo Figueiredo, Journalist

Nate Fischer, Founder, New Founding

Claire Fox, Baroness Fox of Buckley

David Frost, Lord Frost of Allenton

Prof. Frank Furedi, Director, MCC Bruxelles

Riley Gaines, Author

Nile Gardiner, Former Aide to Margaret Thatcher

Prof. Robert P. George, McCormick Professor of Jurisprudence, Princeton University

Sara Gon, Director Free Speech Union of South Africa

Sara Gonzales, Host of Sara Gonzales Unfiltered

Prof. Matt Goodwin, Professor of Politics, University of Kent

Freddy Gray, Deputy Editor of The Spectator

Darren Grimes, Presenter, GB News

Prof. Wayne Grudem, Ph.D., Professor of Theology Emeritus, Phoenix Seminary

Prof. Dennis Hayes, Director, Academics for Academic Freedom

Ayaan Hirsi Ali, Research Fellow Hoover Institution

Prof. Dr. Ralf Höcker, LL.M., Media Lawyer (Germany)

Kate Hoey, Baroness Hoey of Lylehill and Rathlin in the County of Antrim

Jacob Howland, Provost & Senior Vice President, University of Austin

Ladislav Ilčić, Former Member of the European Parliament

Sachin Jose, Journalist & Digital Marketing Consultant

Axel Kaiser, Author & Entrepreneur

José Antonio Kast, Former Chilean presidential candidate & Chair of the Political Network for Values

Prof. Eric Kaufmann, Professor of Politics, University of Buckingham

Birgit Kelle, Journalist & Author

The Honorable Kris Kobach, Kansas Attorney General

Dr. Kyriakos N. Kotsoglou, LLM, Associate Professor in Law, Northumbria University

Agustín Laje, Author & Political Scientist

Ezra Levant, CEO, Rebel News

James Lindsey, Ph.D., Founder, New Discourses

Heather Mac Donald, Thomas W. Smith fellow, Manhattan Institute

Michael Malice, Author

Paul Marshall, Baylor University, Hudson Institute, Religious Freedom Institute

Collin McMahon, Journalist, Kontrafunk

Dr. Calum Miller, Medical Doctor, Research Fellow, University of Oxford

R. Albert Mohler, Jr., President, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Rónán Mullen, Senator, Irish Parliament

The Honorable Liz Murrill, Louisiana Attorney General

Mario Nawfal, Serial Entrepreneur, Investor & host of the largest Spaces on 𝕏

Andy Ngo, Journalist

Brendan O’Neill, Chief Political Writer, Spiked

Julián Obiglio, President of the Latin American Parties Union

Mary Margaret Olohan, Author and Reporter, Daily Wire

Dr. James Orr, University of Cambridge

Prof. David Paton, Professor of Industrial Economics, Nottingham University Business School

Tony Perkins, President, Family Research Council

Tammy Peterson, Podcast Host

Andrea Piccioti-Bayer, Director, The Conscience Project

Jack Posobiec, Senior Editor, Human Events

Gabriel Quadri, Former Mexican Congressman

Boris Reitschuster, Journalist

The Honorable Sean Reyes, Utah Attorney General

Rob Roos, Former Member of the European Parliament

Prof. Abishek Saha, Professor of Mathematics, Queen Mary University of London

Patricia Santos, Editor for El Debate for the EU

Dan Schneider, Vice President for Free Speech, the Media Research Center

Andrea Seaman, President, Free Speech Union Switzerland

Sam Sey, Blogger & Public Speaker

Michael Shellenberger, CBR Chair of Censorship, Politics, & Free Speech at University of Austin & Founder, Civilization Works

The Honorable Jonathan Skrmetti, Tennessee Attorney General and Reporter

Phoebe Smith, Researcher, Civilisation Works

Craig Snider, Freedom Fighter, Philadelphia

Petr Sourek, Journalist

Ashley St. Clair, Author & Commentator

Robby Starbuck, Founder of Starbuck Studios & Free Speech Advocate

Dr. David Starkey, Historian and broadcaster

Mathew D. Staver, Esq., Founder & Chairman, Liberty Counsel

Dieter Stein, Publisher, Junge Freiheit

Joachim Nikolaus Steinhöfel, Freedom of speech-attorney, Author of the No. 1 Bestseller “Die digitale Bevormundung”

Prof. Nadine Strossen, Professor of Law Emerita, New York Law School

Rupa Subramanya, Journalist, The Free Press

Prof. Andrew Tettenborn, Professor of Law, Swansea University

Connor Tomlinson, Podcast Host, Lotus Eaters

David Thunder, Political Philosopher and Jorunalist

Prof. James Tooley, Vice-Chancellor, University of Buckingham

Carl R. Trueman, Fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center

Liz Truss, Former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom

Zuby Udezue, Rapper, Author, Podcast Host, Public Speaker

Eli Vieira, Brazillian Biologist & Journalist, Gazeta do Povo

Eva Vlaardingerbroek, Political Commentator & Legal Philosopher

Kristen Waggoner, President & CEO, Alliance Defending Freedom / ADF International

Andrew T. Walker, Associate Professor of Christian Ethics and Public Theology, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary

Prof. Stephen Warren, Professor of Astrophysics, Imperial College London

Peter Whittle, Director, New Culture Forum

Dr. Joanna Williams, Academic & Author

Toby Young, Founder & General Secretary, Free Speech Union

Sergio Zaragoza, CEO Derechos Digitales

*Institutional affiliations are listed for identification purposes only, names are in alphabetical order.

What's happening

Every Brazilian has the right to free speech.

That's why we're calling on @CIDH to intervene against Brazil's extreme censorship of "X".

Our own Lorcan Price stopped by @GBNEWS to discuss Brazil's ban on X 👇 pic.twitter.com/j32qtEZ9ml
— ADF International (@ADFIntl) September 4, 2024

ICYMI: Over the weekend, our team at @ADFIntl was on the front lines of the censorship crisis in Brazil.

ADFI lawyers are working to contest the extreme actions of Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Alexandre de Moraes, who shut down X in Brazil for refusing to censor users. 🧵 pic.twitter.com/cV4XhSDOJg
— Alliance Defending Freedom (@ADFLegal) September 3, 2024

Governments across the world are imposing and enforcing laws to silence free expression, and even free thought.

Increasingly, we are seeing not only the failure to protect free speech, but also the introduction of measures by the state to actively silence and sanction free expression.

Learn more about these cases to see how ADF International is standing against global censorship:

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Governments should focus on protecting speech, not squashing it

Freedom of speech is a prerequisite for a free society, and a fundamental human right guaranteed by every major human rights treaty. Upholding this right is essential for the protection of all of our human rights.

State-driven censorship fuels cancel culture and a climate of fear. Once the state starts censoring “unpopular” speech, there is no logical stopping point.

Without free speech, every human right is imperiled

While laws that punish speech often impose different punishments and occur in different contexts, the foundation is often very similar. For example, blasphemy laws and “hate speech” laws are both state-driven censorship grounded in the idea that some words are simply too offensive to be heard.

In a free society, ideas should be challenged with ideas, not censorship

As international human rights advocates with deep expertise in defending the right to free speech, ADF International is uniquely positioned to address the escalating censorship crisis in Brazil.

Our work focuses on the international institutions – including the Organization of American States – which were set up to ensure states respect their human rights commitments.

In Brazil, our work includes petitioning the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights to intervene and protect the fundamental right to free speech in Brazil, holding the state to account for violating its international legal obligations.