(IPYS/IFEX) – On 30 January 2007, Judge Francisco Peçanha Martins of the Superior Court of Justice upheld the ruling against “Época” magazine, published by Editora Globo, which awarded damages of US$205,000 to bishops Estevam and Sônia Hernandes, of the Renascer em Cristo church. The process began in 2002, when the magazine published a series of […]
(IPYS/IFEX) – On 30 January 2007, Judge Francisco Peçanha Martins of the Superior Court of Justice upheld the ruling against “Época” magazine, published by Editora Globo, which awarded damages of US$205,000 to bishops Estevam and Sônia Hernandes, of the Renascer em Cristo church.
The process began in 2002, when the magazine published a series of reports accusing the couple of committing several crimes through the church. The bishops’ assets and bank accounts were frozen after the articles were published. On 9 January 2007, they were detained while trying to enter the United States with US$56,000 that had been obtained illegally. They are also being tried for this.
This alert was prepared by IPYS with information provided by the Brazilian Investigative Journalism Association (Associação Brasileira de Jornalismo Investigativo, ABRAJI).
