(WAN/IFEX) – In a 28 October 2002 letter to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Minister of Justice Paulo de Tarso ramos Nogueira and State of Mato Grosso Governor Rogério Salles, WAN and the World Editors Forum (WEF) expressed concern over the raid on the newsroom of “Correio Braziliense” newspaper. According to reports, on the evening of […]
(WAN/IFEX) – In a 28 October 2002 letter to President Fernando Henrique Cardoso, Minister of Justice Paulo de Tarso ramos Nogueira and State of Mato Grosso Governor Rogério Salles, WAN and the World Editors Forum (WEF) expressed concern over the raid on the newsroom of “Correio Braziliense” newspaper.
According to reports, on the evening of 23 October, a justice official was sent by a judge to the editorial offices of “Correio Braziliense” newspaper in Brasilia to block the transcribing of certain tapes and subsequent publication in the newspaper. The justice official was accompanied by a lawyer from the Solidarity Front Coalition of Brasilia, an organisation supporting the re-election of the governor of the federal District, Joaquim Roriz.
WAN and WEF suspect that this authorised censorship was set in action in order to prevent “Correio Braziliense” from publishing articles in which the governor of Brasilia is accused of irregular sale of government land in the federal capital.
WAN and WEF noted that this act of official censorship, which has not been seen in Brazil for many years, is a serious violation of press freedom. The physical presence of a censor in the editing offices of a newspaper does not belong in a democratic society.
Recommended Action
Send appeals to authorities:
– calling on them to do everything possible to ensure that “Correio Braziliense” can publish its articles freely without any risk of censorship or pressure
Appeals To
His Excellency Fernando Henrique Cardoso
President of Brazil
E-mail: pr@planalto.gov.br
Minister of Justice Paulo de Tarso ramos Nogueira
E-mail: gabinetemj@mj.gov.br
Governor Rogério Salles, State of Mato Grosso
E-mail: ppo@terra.com.br
Please copy appeals to WAN.
