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 The censorship installed against the daily newspaper O Estado de S. Paulo, one of Brazil's most traditional and respected publications, has completed 50 days this Saturday, September 19, as a black strip at the top of the paper's webpage reminds readers.
Federal judge Dácio Vieira has forbidden the newspaper to publish reports about the Federal Police (similar do Interpol) Faktor Operation, former Boi Barrica Operation, which investigates the president of Brazilian's Senate and former Brazilian president José Sarney.
The request for the prohibition has come from the businessman Fernando Sarney, José Sarney's son. The censorship imposed by Vieira, a good friend of the Sarneys covers not only the printed version of O Estado but also its Internet version on www.estadao.com.br.
Fernando Sarneys's lawyers accuse O Estado de S. Paulo of practicing crime when it has published pieces of telephone calls recorded with judicial authorization during the Faktor Operation.
They also argue that the publication of the data hurts the honor of the Sarney family. The records reveal the involvement of the Senate's president with the hiring of relatives and political godchildren in the government, what's illegal in the country.
Ricardo Gandour, director of content for the Grupo Estado says that the decision doesn't change the newspaper's conduct. "The Estado won't intimidate itself, as it has never done in its history. The newspaper respects the law, but uses lawful and ethical journalistic methods to bring information of public interest to the society," he says.
O Estado de S. Paulo was charged to pay a fee of nearly U$ 80,000 for each report that it publishes about the Faktor Operation.
The newspaper's lawyer, Manuel Alceu Afonso Ferreira, has taken several measures in order to suspend the censorship. Among them, is a request of exception of suspension (which means to take a judge away from a case, due to his involvement with one of the parts) at the Distrito Federal (D.C.)'s Tribunal of Justice.
Ferreira points to the bounds between judge Dácio Vieira and the Sarney family, besides Vieira's carrier as lawyer at the Senate. The requirements are still waiting for judgment.
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After much hypocrisy concerning President Chavez and his treatment of the media, I really cannot find better words than these spoken in the US Senate;
Have you NO shame, sir? Have you no sense of decency, sir? At long last, have you left no sense of decency?
In an election year,2010, let's see how far Brasilia is willing to go to cover up. Perhaps they should call Mr. Ahmadinejad or Mr. Kim Il Jung for campaign tips, seeing as Mr. Lula has already retained Mr. Obama's team.