Brazilian Supreme Court Justice Bars Investigations Into Glenn Greenwald

RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – Federal Supreme Court (STF) Justice Gilmar Mendes granted an injunction on Wednesday morning, August 7th, to prevent U.S. journalist Glenn Greenwald, editor of The Intercept Brasil, from being investigated or held accountable for receiving, obtaining or publishing information.

The request for an injunction had been lodged by the Rede Sustentabilidade party. The media outlet has been publishing messages attributed to former federal judge Sérgio Moro and prosecutors from the task force of Operation Lava Jato since June.

The journalist claims to have obtained the material from an anonymous source.

In the decision, Gilmar wrote that it is “an immediate consequence of freedom of expression the right to obtain, produce and disclose facts and news by any means. The constitutional confidentiality of the journalistic source (art. 5, item XIV, of the Federal Constitution) prevents the government from using coercive measures to constrain professional performance and ravage the way in which it receives and discloses what is brought to the public’s attention”.

For the justice, although the Federal Police and other bodies have not confirmed the existence of investigations against the journalist, “none of these bodies have ruled out their future possibility”, for which reason he decided to grant the injunction.

“The very disguised and automated way in which inquisitive actions have been carried out on the financial transactions of citizens confirms that the delay in granting the protection sought in this action is a threat of irreparable damage to the journalist’s individual guarantees,” wrote Justice Mendes.