Spanish
Rio de Janeiro.- The entities that represent Brazilian journalists requested this Sunday protection for the professionals covering the hospitalization of former President Jair Bolsonaro after denouncing threats, aggressions and attempts at intimidation in front of the hospital where the far-right leader remains admitted in Brasilia.
The National Federation of Journalists (Fenaj) and regional unions repudiated in a note the events that occurred during the coverage of the former president's health and stated that the attacks constitute a violation of the right to information and the professional practice of journalism.
You may be interested in: Bolsonaro will undergo surgery for two inguinal hernias at Christmas
According to the organization, reporters, cameramen, and photographers working in the vicinity of the hospital have been harassed by supporters of the former ruler, who verbally accosted them, attempted to prevent recordings, and, in some cases, uttered threats. The entity maintained that such events generate a climate of insecurity incompatible with the work of the press and demanded guarantees from the authorities for the coverage. Other professional associations and freedom of expression advocacy organizations joined the claim and requested the security agencies of Brasilia to take measures to protect the journalists who remain permanently in front of the medical center, where followers and onlookers have gathered since the hospitalization was announced. The entities recalled that attacks on the press are not isolated incidents and warned that the intimidation of communicators compromises society's right to receive information of public interest, especially in a case involving a political figure of national relevance. The attacks against the professionals began on Friday when a Bolsonarist influencer published a video in which, without any proof, she claims that the journalists covering the hospitalization wished for the death of the far-right leader. Your video was shared by politicians allied with Bolsonaro and even by his relatives, including his wife, Michelle Bolsonaro, who has about 8 million followers on social media. The Brazilian Association of Investigative Journalism (Abraji) called the disclosure of the video without prior verification an irresponsible act and said that it is "inadmissible for parliamentarians and figures with space in the public debate to use their influence to organize defamation campaigns and incite aggression against journalists."Bolsonaro was hospitalized on Friday after being diagnosed with a lung infection and, although his health condition is considered stable, there is still no forecast of when he will be discharged and return to the prison in Brasilia where he is serving his 27-year prison sentence for sedition.
The Army reserve captain, who is also ineligible to vote, was sentenced last November for "leading" a coup plot to "perpetuate himself in power," after losing the 2022 elections to the current president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, according to the ruling issued by the Supreme Court.
