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Justice Alexandre De Moraes lifts ban on social media platform following conclusion of national elections
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Brazilians prevented from engaging in online conversations during election period
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ADF International, who have filed petition before Inter-American Commission on Human Rights, highlight a โbreach of human rightsโ
Brasรญlia (8 October 2024) โ After a 39-day blockade, social media platform โ๐โ is back online in Brazil.
Justice Alexandre De Moraes, who controversially banned the platform in August, has lifted the blockade following the conclusion of national elections.
The stated objection of the ban was to prevent โmisinformationโ and โhate speechโ ahead of the election. Free speech advocates at ADF International described the censorship of Brazilians as โa breach of human rightsโ.
ADF International has filed a petition before the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights in relation to the social media ban, representing five Brazilian legislators who were obstructed from communicating with their audience of millions ahead of a national election.
The legislators โ Senator Eduardo Girao & Members of the Chamber of Deputies Marcel Van Hattem, Adriana Ventura, Gilson Marques & Ricardo Salles โ claim severe violations of their free speech rights from persistent state censorship, dating back to 2019, reaching a head with the ๐ ban.
In September, over 100 global free speech advocates โ including UK Prime Minister Liz Truss, journalist Michael Shellenberger, five US Attorneys General and Senior UK, US, European and Latin American politicians and professors united in an open letter to call for free speech to be restored in Brazil.
Reacting to the end of the 39-day blockade, Tomas Henriquez, ADF International's Director of Advocacy for Latin America said:
โThat people can freely exchange ideas is a good thing. In that sense, that X is back online in Brazil is good, though letโs not forget that de Moraesโs demands were and remain unlawful.
โDe Moraes is only now agreeing to lift the blockade, after the elections are over. Censorship has been a persistent and escalating problem in Brazil since 2019. We will continue to make the case that the actions of De Moraes and the greater climate of censorship are unacceptable, until the day that freedom of expression and information are once again secured for all in Brazil.โ
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PICTURED: Tomas Henriquez, ADF Internationalโs Director of Advocacy, Latin America
