Report from a pro-Trump deputy says that STF minister tries to “force” X (former Twitter) to block criticism in the country; read the full document
A United States House of Representatives Committee on Judicial Affairs published on Wednesday (April 17, 2024) a report in which he accuses minister Alexandre de Moraes, of the STF (Supreme Federal Court), of “censor” any Brazilian opposition with “a platform for criticism” to the current “left-wing government”in reference to the president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (PT). Here's the complete (PDF – 37 MB).
Entitled “The attack on freedom of expression abroad and the silence of the Biden administration: the case of Brazil”the document is signed by the republican Jim Jordan, political ally of former President Donald Trump. The text was published after X (former Twitter) sent the commission a compilation of requests made by the Supreme Court and the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) for the social network to take down profiles and content on the platform.
“Records reveal that, since at least 2022, the Federal Supreme Court in Brazil, where Moraes serves as a judge, and the Superior Electoral Court of Brazil, also led by Moraes, have ordered X Corp to suspend or remove nearly 150 accounts on the platform . Most of the censorship demands were specifically directed at critics of the current Brazilian government.”says the report.
The document mentions the clash between X and Moraes that has been going on since Elon Musk, owner of the social network, called Moraes “dictator” and said that the minister should be impeached. He also says that, according to reports from the platform, X is being “forced” by court decisions blocking certain accounts in the country.
The commission lists the names of those most affected by the said “censorship” de Moraes on the platform. Among them is the former president Jair Bolsonaro (PL). The document also mentions federal deputies Carla Zambelli (PL-SP) and Marcel Van Hattem (Novo-RS) like other names threatened by the minister's measures.
The report concludes by saying that US President Joe Biden takes the same measures as Moraes with the North American population. He says that the Democrat agrees with the “wave of attacks on freedom of expression” around the world.
“Congress must take seriously the warnings from Brazil and other countries that seek to suppress speech in the online environment. We must never think that this cannot happen here. The committee and select subcommittee conducted aggressive oversight – issuing subpoenas, conducting fact-finding, and convening multiple hearings – to shed light on government-induced censorship in the United States and to inform additional legislative solutions.”says the text.
MUSK
Alexandre de Moraes determined on April 7 the inclusion of the owner of X as being investigated in the digital militias inquiry, filed in July 2021 and which investigates groups for conduct against democracy.
The minister also opened a new investigation to investigate Elon Musk's conduct. The magistrate wants the crime of obstruction of justice to be investigated, “including criminal organization and incitement to crime”.
On April 6, Elon Musk He asked why minister Alexandre de Moraes “requires so much censorship in Brazil”. The businessman responded to a publication by the minister in X on January 11th.
Musk's comment came in the wake of accusations made by American journalist Michael Shellenberger on April 3. According to Shellenberger, the minister has “led a case of widespread repression of freedom of expression in Brazil”.
The critical comments escalated the tone and Musk said that he is thinking about closing Twitter in Brazil and that he will publicize Moraes' demands that violate laws. He also called the minister “tyrant”, “totalitarian” It is “draconian”saying he should “resign or be impeached”.
Know more:
TWITTER FILES BRAZIL
On Wednesday (April 3), North American journalist Michael Shellenberger published an alleged exchange of emails between employees of the legal sector of X in Brazil between 2020 and 2022 talking about requests and court orders received regarding the contents of their users.
The messages would show requests from various instances of the Brazilian Judiciary requesting personal data from users who used hashtags about the electoral process and content moderation.
Shellenberger specifically criticized STF (Supreme Federal Court) minister Alexandre de Moraes, criticizing him for “leading a case of widespread repression of freedom of expression in Brazil”.
According to him, Moraes issued decisions by the TSE (Superior Electoral Court) that “threaten democracy in Brazil” when asking for interventions in publications by members of the National Congress and personal account data – which would violate the platform’s guidelines. The records of the processes mentioned in the case are confidential.
The case was named Twitter Files Brazil in reference to the Twitter Files originally published in 2022, after Musk purchased X, in October of that year.
At the time, Musk delivered material to journalists that indicated how the social network, in the 2020 North American elections, collaborated with United States authorities to block users and suppress stories involving the son of the country's presidential candidate Joe Biden.
The files published by journalists include email exchanges that reveal, to some extent, how Twitter reacted to requests from governments to intervene in the policy of publishing and removing content. In some cases, the social network ended up giving in.
In the Brazilian case, Musk was not indicated as the source who provided the material, however, the businessman criticized Moraes for a few days.
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