'Fake news is a crime, and those who produce and spread it should be treated as criminals,' says Paulo Pimenta.

247 - The Minister of the Secretariat of Social Communication (Secom), Paulo Pimenta, stated that the Lula government will be tough in combating the spread of fake news and will work towards holding those responsible criminally accountable. "Fake news is a crime, and those who produce and spread it should be treated as criminals," said Minister Pimenta. 

This Friday (7), the The Workers' Party (PT) filed a lawsuit in the Brasília court. against the authors of the fake news that associates the party and President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva with Luiz Henrique de Lima, 25 years old, who killed four children and injured four others at the Cantinho Bom Pastor daycare center in Blumenau (SC).

In the lawsuit, the PT (Workers' Party) claims that the social media posts exceed the bounds of freedom of expression, "transforming into an abuse of rights against the entire society," by violating the right to access information and also violating the right to honor and image of the party and President Lula. "In reality, the posts foment hatred and political violence, dehumanizing citizens who in some way identify with or support the Plaintiff as a Political Party, associating them with child murderers," the PT states in the lawsuit.