Brazil: Juliana Dal Piva Ordered To Pay Damages To Bolsonaro Lawyer For Publishing Threats He Sent “Privately”

Location: Brazil, Rio de Janeiro    
Date: June 21, 2022

A civil court has ordered Juliana Dal Piva to pay damages to lawyer Frederick Wassef for making public threatening messages he sent her after her coverage of alleged corruption by President Jair Bolsonaro and his family members. The Coalition For Women In Journalism condemns this ruling and calls for its immediate annulment. The judgment sets a dangerous precedent for press freedom in Brazil and exposes women journalists to further harm by discouraging them from reporting threats.

In July 2021, Bolsonaro’s family lawyer Wassef sent threatening messages to Juliana, a journalist with national online media outlet UOL attacking her person, profession and sexuality, reported the CFWIJ at the time. The messages sent on WhatsApp came shortly after Juliana’s investigative reporting on alleged corruption by Bolsanaro and his family for which she had interviewed Wassef. 

Nearly a year later, on June 9, 2022, São Paulo state Sixth Civil Court Judge Fabio Coimbra Junqueira ruled that the journalist’s publication of these messages in her UOL column was “unauthorized” and ordered her to pay 10,000 reals (around US$ 2,000) in damages to Wassef. 

In the same verdict, the court also ordered Wassef to pay the same amount to Juliana in damages given the “negative repercussions” to her life caused by his allegations on her work ethics and sexuality. The judge dismissed the journalist’s requests for a public apology by Wassef and her plea to prohibit him from contacting her. 

The court ruled that “at no time is it implicit or explicit that he threatens her” and that Juliana should not have published the messages as “communications between private parties are confidential”.

In a statement denouncing the court’s order, the Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) expressed solidarity with Juliana and called into question the judge’s decision to dismiss threats to the journalist in Wassef’s messages. Juliana’s legal team plans to appeal the verdict, according to the Committee to Protect Journalists. 

The message sent by Wassef read: "What do you do here to see what the wonderful political system you love so much does for you? Back in China and disappear. They wouldn't even find your body.”

The CFWIJ finds the judgment extremely troubling for press freedom in Brazil and safety of women journalists on ground. It is hypocritical to hold the mantle of “confidentiality” and “private parties” when the parties involved are influential public figures. It also sets a dangerous precedent discouraging journalists from reporting harassment and abuse by a news source. Women journalists bear the disproportionate brunt of such decisions. 

“I did and will do my job with the same responsibility that I always did for the public interest. Messages like this don't intimidate me. The consequences of this will be faced in the court,” Juliana had tweeted at the time. Her UOL column detailing Wassef’s threatening messages was republished by local media outlets and press freedom groups. The messages also prompted backlash by international press freedom organizations, including the CFWIJ, and called attention to repeated expressions of violence against journalists by Bolsanaro and his associates. 

A year on, the verdict ordering the journalist to pay damages for making public a threat to her person is a threat to both press freedom and free speech. The court’s order implies that powerful figures can intimidate journalists who work for the public good with impunity. The Coalition For Women In Journalism stands in solidarity with Juliana Dal Piva and strongly condemns the verdict. We laud Juliana for her commitment to her work and courage to come forward with the threatening messages sent to her. Women journalists must be encouraged to report such threats instead of being penalized for it. We call for the immediate annulment of this verdict.

The Coalition For Women In Journalism is a global organization of support for women journalists. The CFWIJ pioneered mentorship for mid-career women journalists across several countries around the world and is the first organization to focus on the status of free press for women journalists. We thoroughly document cases of any form of abuse against women in any part of the globe. Our system of individuals and organizations brings together the experience and mentorship necessary to help female career journalists navigate the industry. Our goal is to help develop a strong mechanism where women journalists can work safely and thrive.

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