Brazilian court dismisses lawsuit filed by Jean Wyllys against evangelical website.
Judge Gianne de Freitas Andrade, of the Federal Court of Tocantins, ordered the dismissal of a criminal complaint filed by federal deputy Jean Wyllys (Psol-RJ) against the Tocantins-based website JM Notícia and its editor-in-chief, Ricardo Pereira do Nascimento, for allegedly committing the crime of defamation. The judge decided to dismiss the case because Wyllys did not appear at the hearing scheduled for June 13th. According to journalist Ricardo Costa, justice was served by ordering the dismissal of the case. "The day we can no longer publicize or criticize a bill presented by a representative of the people, that's when we're lost," Costa stated.
Tocantins 247 - Substitute federal judge Gianne de Freitas Andrade, of the Federal Court of Tocantins, ordered the dismissal of a lawsuit filed by federal deputy Jean Wyllys (Psol) against the website. JM News and its editor-in-chief, Ricardo Pereira do Nascimento, for allegedly committing the crime of defamation.
According to information released by the news outlet, the accusation stemmed from the fact that the website JM Notícia published, in September 2015, the text of Bill 5002/2013, authored by the parliamentarian and congresswoman Érika Kokay, which deals with the possibility of sex reassignment surgery for children, even without parental consent, through the public health system.
According to the criminal complaint filed by Congressman Jean Wyllys, the website JM Notícia allegedly committed the crime of defamation by claiming that the congressman, in the exercise of his parliamentary duties, aimed to encourage and stimulate children to feel sexual desires.
In her ruling, Judge Gianne Andrade decided to dismiss the lawsuit because Wyllys failed to appear at the hearing scheduled for June 13th. "I note that the plaintiff and his lawyer, despite being duly notified on February 17, 2016, did not appear at the hearing on June 13, 2016, nor did they previously justify their absence for the reasons stated in the petition of June 21, 2016. This reveals the plaintiff's complete disinterest. Given this inaction, the case is time-barred, meaning the right to proceed with the already initiated action has been lost," stated the judge.
According to journalist Ricardo Costa, justice was served by ordering the case to be dismissed. "I believe that one of the essential functions of the press, in addition to informing, is oversight, together with society. The day we can no longer publicize or criticize a bill presented by a representative of the people, then we are lost," Costa stated.
Read the decision about the subject.