Tourism minister Marcelo Álvaro Antônio had an injunction to censor denied by judge Grace Correa Pereira Maia, in Brasília. The minister demanded the newspaper delete news stories that revealed his connection with the PSL phony candidate scheme during last year's general elections in Minas Gerais.

The judge's ruling, from last Friday (22nd), said that the documents presented by the minister "don't prove that the news pieces are untrue and/or illegal and/or offensive to the plaintiff." 

"Withdrawing journalistic material is an act of censorship, which is admissible only in extreme situations. It is not the case in question," the judge continued. The minister is entitled to an appeal. 

Antônio was requesting that Folha's coverage, comprised of 13 news pieces, to be deleted from its website and that the newspaper should pay him a sum of R$ 100,000 (US$ 26,700). 

The minister's legal team argues that Folha's coverage intends to "offend, insult and tarnish his reputation." 

The judge denied his injunction based on the fact that since the minister is holding a political office, his position implies public scrutiny and that the public's freedom of speech needs to be respected. 

Translated by NATASHA MADOV
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