Organizations Condemn attacks against journalist Patrícia Campos Mello

In a statement, the Pact for Democracy says that democrats cannot sit back and watch attempts to systematically damage the reputation of people who criticize the government

After the harsh attacks suffered by the journalist Patrícia Campos Mello during the Mixed Congressional Inquiry Committee on Fake News on Monday, February 11, the civil society organizations that form the group Pacto pela Democracia (Pact for Democracy) have issued a statement in solidarity with the reporter from the Folha de São Paulo newspaper.

The insults made by the deponent Hans River, a former employee of the digital marketing company Yacows, were intended to demoralize the journalist who wrote the story denouncing the mass messaging on WhatsApp during the 2018 presidential election campaign.

In a statement, the Pact for Democracy said that democrats “cannot sit back and watch attempts to systematically damage the reputation of journalists, political opponents, civil society organizations and anyone who criticizes the government”.

The 28 organizations that make up the group also said that “the only way to stop this type of behavior from being rewarded is public reprimand by politicians of all stripes as well as legal punishment for the crime it represents”.

 

•  See the statement in full here
• See the statement by other civil society organizations here